Finding a Way Home
by Tinni93
Summary: PR RPM - While Dillon still strives to find out his past, Scott gets a visit from his. And will Dillon be able to fight off the Venjix virus before it takes over him enitrely? Sequel to 'Black Sees White'. Also takes place after 'Brother's Keeper'.
1. Late Night Troubles

**Finding a Way Home **

**Diclaimer:**** I do not own Power Rangers in any way, shape or form.**

It was late at night in the Garage—nearing three in the morning. The moon was high and full, watching over the domed city of Corinth. The only sounds that could be heard was faint clattering coming from the vicinity if Doctor K's lab. The source of the noise was the Black and Blue Rangers, Dillon and Flynn. They walked very carefully into the lab, trying not to make even the slightest sound. Due to the darkness of the room, Flynn crashed into a trash bin with a loud bag.

Dillon whipped around to face him. "Quiet, Flynn!" he said in a harsh whisper. "We're not even supposed to be down here!"

Flynn steadied the flimsy trash bin and stood straight. "Well, I'm sorry, mate. Sneaking isn't in my area of expertise." He told the Black Ranger.

Dillon decided to shake it off and headed over to Doctor K's massive computer with three keyboards. "Whatever. I'm sorry." Dillon apologized. "Do you have your Morpher?" he asked, extending his hand.

"Aye." Flynn grumbled, pulling the cell-phone like object from his pocket. "I still say this is a mistake." He added, staring at the Morpher in his hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Dillon stopped mid keystroke and closed his eyes with a hard sigh. "This is the only way, Flynn. I'm aware of all the risks." He said lowly.

"But what about Taryn and…and Summer?!" Flynn asked loudly.

"Don't you think I've though of that?!" Dillon yelled, pounding the desk and turning to Flynn.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Flynn finally spoke. "Look," he said, walking over to him, "I'm sorry. I…just don't want you to regret what you're doing here."

"What I'd regret is hurting someone I love because of this…damn virus." Dillon said, looking at his left hand.

Though he'd never let any of the others see it, Dillon was fighting with this virus inside him every day. It was only recently that Doctor K discovered it in his system and informed him that there wasn't yet a cure. Venjix for one reason or another placed this virus in his system, and was bound and determined to make him join his side. He had already put his friends in danger a few times due to the virus, and he was going to do everything in his power to keep that from happening again.

"I want to do this, Flynn." Dillon said softly. "I _have_ to."

Flynn just looked at his friend sadly and patted him on the back. "Then I'll help you any way I can." He told him, handing him his Morpher.

"Thanks," Dillon replied with a small smile, "I owe you one."

"Just…make me a fruit smoothie after all of this and we'll call it even." Flynn said.

"You got it." Dillon said with a small laugh.

"Now, what do I do?" Flynn asked, approaching the keyboard.

"I need to borrow some of your time manipulation powers from your Morpher." Dillon explained.

"Aye." Flynn added, nodding along.

"What I do is link your and my morphers together via the computer. Next, I remove some of your time manipulation energies and send it into my Morpher. Then, sync the energies with the virus and that way, whenever I feel the virus taking hold…" Dillon trailed off.

"My powers will freeze it in time." Flynn finished for him.

"Exactly." Dillon said, looking over his plan on the screen.

"Okay. But you _do_ know that this is only a temporary solution…it won't hold off the virus forever." Flynn told him.

"Yes, but it _will_ give me some time so I can try and gain control of it. Maybe this way I can fight it." Dillon answered.

"Here's hoping." Flynn said. give me some time so I can try and gain control of it. Maybe this way I can fight it." Dillon answered.

"Here's hoping." Flynn said, looking at all the work details.

"Flynn, the thing is I don't know how to sync one Morpher with the other—you do." Dillon said, removing his Morpher from his wrist and handing it to the Blue Ranger. "Please do this for me…this is my only hope."

Flynn paused and looking at both of the morphers in Dillon's hands. "I'll do it." He answered. "As long as you tell me what I'm supposed to tell Summer should anything happen to you."

"I'll handle that…don't worry." Dillon assured him. "Now, let's do this."

Flynn took the morphers from Dillon's hands and let out a sigh. "First we hook the morphers to one another, then attached them to the computer." He said laying the morphers on a nearby table, hooking them to one another. "Then, I'll transmit my time manipulation electrodes into your Morpher."

"Will you still be able access your ability?" Dillon asked as he watched the Blue Ranger work. He wanted to make sure that his friend wouldn't have to deal with any harsh ramifications because of his actions

"Aye." Flynn told him. "I'm only sending over a few electrodes. Once they get inside or your Morpher, they'll multiply and spread." Then he walked over to the computer, hooking it to both of the Morphers. "But…"

"'But'…what?" Dillon asked impatiently.

"Your force field ability will be shortened." Flynn warned him.

"_How_ shortened?" Dillon asked, raising a brow. "I only have five seconds in the first place."

"You'll lose three seconds." He answered, causing Dillon to sigh and run his fingers through his hair. "Still want to do this?"

"It's only three seconds." Dillon told him. "I can handle it." He knew that this wasn't a good thing. He struggled enough with the fact that he only had five seconds to begin with. Two seconds was looking as good as zero about now.

"Then, let's do this." Flynn said hesitantly. With that, he activated the computer, transmitting just the right amount of electrodes into Dillon's Morpher. The objects glowed the color of their owner and static crackled all around it. After a few moments, it stopped.

Dillon looked at the morphers and then to Flynn. "Did you do it?" he asked.

"It's done." Flynn replied with regret in his voice.

Dillon took his morpher from the table and placed it on his wrist. "Now, to sync it with this virus."

"All you have to do is morph and it'll be synced." Flynn said, folding his arms.

The Black Ranger paused for a moment and looked at his morpher. "Right." He said in a low voice. He knew that a lot was riding on this for it to work; he just hoped Flynn was as good as he thought he was. In one swift motion, he activated his morpher and morphed into the Black Ranger.

When he did so, a blue electricity surged throughout his body. Afterwards, he jerked forward and looked at his hands. "Well…" he began, retracting his helmet, "did it work?" Flynn just nodded at him in response. "Thank you." Dillon said.

"Just don't make me regret this." Flynn replied, grabbing his morpher from the table and leaving the room.

"Me neither." Dillon said softly to himself. He had no idea if this was going to work the way he hoped or not, but he figured risking being out of commission was better than the evil taking over him and hurting his friends. He loved them way too much to let that happen.

Meanwhile, another ranger was having a restless night. Scott was upstairs in a disturbed sleep. He was writhing in his bed, seeming to be tormented by a dream of some sort. It had only been a few months since his brother Marcus was lost in a battle against Venjix. But with all the pain Scott was feeling, it may as well only happened a few hours ago. He desperately tried to forget about everything that happened with being the team leader, but he couldn't move on, and it seemed damn near impossible that he ever would.

He heard that last transmission Marcus made over and over again, it was as clear as if he was in the room:

_(Flashback)_

_Marcus and Scott were trying with everything in them to control their planes from the flurry of blasts Venjix and his army was firing at them. Shots came from every angle. They were completely surrounded._

Marcus' voice garbled through Scott's helmet. "Eagle Two, we are taking fire! We are taking fire!" he shouted.

_Still trying to steady his bird, Scott answered. "Eagle One, this is Eagle Two, requesting permission to engage!"_

"_Negative, Eagle Two, this zone is too hot!" Marcus shouted back. "Maintain your course. I'm drawing fire away from Alley Delta!"_

_When Scott heard these words he felt himself growing nervous. "No, Marcus, don't! That's a negative!" he shouted, ripping his helmet from his head._

_Suddenly a loud explosion filled the air, all was bright around him filled with fire and scrap metal. "I'm hit! I'm hit!" Marcus cried. "I'm losing altitude!"_

_Scott saw his brother fading out of view beside him. "No, Marcus!!" Scot screamed._

_At that moment, he heard a final report from his brother. "This is Eagle One's last transmission." The tone in his voice was surprisingly calm, it was as if Marcus had already accepted his fate. Then the line went dead._

"_Marcus, no!!" Scott screamed once more. He then saw what he dreaded most, Eagle One's plane crashing to the ground, exploding into nothingness. Soot and metal shards flew all around the Red Ranger. "Marcus…" he whimpered sadly, leaving himself wide open to take and attack from Venjix. His plane shook angrily and was going down fast. He searched for the 'eject' button, lifting the protective glass and pressing it. "Eject!" he yelled, getting thrown out of his seat as well as his plane. _

_When he felt himself launch forward, he jolted awake harshly from his sleep._

_(End Flashback)_

The Red Ranger screamed as he awakened, drenched in a cold sweat, trying to steady his breathing. The nightmare was over. He exhaled sharply and beat his head once against the wall. He relived his most painful memory, and it never felt more real.


	2. A Bitter Breakfast

In Venjix's lair, the super computer's generals stood around waiting for any sort of command from their master. And what used to be three generals was now only two. In recent events, their former ally known as Tenaya 7, had now joined the ranger's side. It came out that her real name was Taryn and that she was Dillon's sister. And after a few close encounters with her brother, her faded memories of him came back to her, and she realized that the person she had been fighting against, was the one person she had in the world. So she decided to leave her evil days behind her, and join the RPM Rangers in their fight against Venjix.

So this left Venjix with one less general and one additional opponent, so he would have to work with the generals he had—Generals Crunch and Shifter. Tired of standing around with nothing to do, the smarter of the two generals stepped forward.

"You called for our assistance, Master Venjix?" Shifter asked with a respective bow.

Upon hearing these words, Venjix turned around. New body and all. As much as he liked his new form, Venjix still found it a little hard to get used to. Having legs and arms wasn't something he always had. Transitioning from basically a statue to a functioning being, had it's fair of complications.

"Yes." Venjix answered, pacing around the room, looking his lair high and low from views he had never seen before. "I've called you here to discuss our endeavors over the past couple of days."

"Just so I'm clear, it's the way we've been snagging people left and right and throwing them in prison…right?" Crunch asked holding up a hand.

Venjix stopped and groaned in disgust. "Yes, you moron." He answered, picking up his pace again.

"Is there a problem or something?" Shifter chimed in. "Because I'm aware that we have captured many people over the past few months, but we still have plenty of cells for more."

"No—I know that. I mean that we're lucky that the rangers haven't caught on to our scheme yet, seeing how long it's been going on under their noses." Venjix said with a wicked chuckle.

"Then what's the problem? Why did you call us here?" Crunch asked his master.

Venjix continued to walk about the room as he spoke. "Given our recent loss of Tenaya 7, I figure we need all the extra muscle we can get to defeat the rangers. After all.." he said, turning to the generals, "…she was the strongest out of the three of you." Shifter and Crunch shifted uncomfortably due to Venjix's harsh words. "So that's why I've created a new monster to help you." He went on, gesturing his arm to the crane and pit.

The crane reached deep into the pit and began to pull out a monster. When the monster was revealed, they saw that it resembled a camera. He was large and boxy, with a camera torso with a large lense, covered all in white like a clean pallet.

"This is the Snap-Bot." Venjix announced as the claw laid the being on the floor. "It can create a copy of whatever it takes a picture of, be it human or weapon." He went on proudly, looking over his newest creation.

"Really?" Shifter said with intrigue. "This could prove to be most useful."

Then Crunch pushed his way forward. "Does he come with a flash setting? Because it can get _pretty_ dark out on the battlefield."

After Crunch spoke his ignorant words, a cold and awkward silence filled the room. Neither Venjix nor Shifter could believe a bot so dense was on their side.

"He'll work whether it's dark _or_ light out, General Crunch." Venjix answered, slapping his head in defeat.

Like most of Venjix's former attack-bots, the Snap-Bot didn't speak, he just leapt forward and began snapping pictures of General Crunch. Seconds later, the Snap-Bot morphed into an exact replica of him.

"Whoa!" Crunch exclaimed, "That's awesome!" he said, trying to poke the replica. "It's so lifelike!" he went on.

"That's because he's an _exact _replica of anything he photographs." Venjix told them once more. "Now, enough of these foolish games. Take him to battle the rangers. And don't mess it up." he warned them with a point of a finger.

"You can count on us, Master Venjix." Shifter answered with another bow. "Come on, Crunch." He added, as he and the Snap-Bot all headed out to do their duties.

After his team was gone, Venjix let out a soft, evil snicker. "If only the rangers knew how deep this goes…" he hissed to himself.

The next morning, the Garage was abuzz with morning chatter as the team ate their breakfast. Ziggy and Taryn sat close to one another with an arm around each other eating a sugary cereal of some sort, Summer and Dillon sat close to one another as well, him sipping orange juice with his arm around her waist while she bit into a piece of toast, Flynn scarfed down his bacon and eggs quickly and Scott pushed his eggs around his plate, appearing to be deep in thought.

"So, Taryn," Ziggy began, "how are you liking your Carmel Camel Crunch?" he asked, spooning a large bit into his mouth.

A smile came across Taryn's face. "Very tasty, Ziggy. It tastes like food, very sugary food." She assured him, eating a bite as well. Taryn never got real food when she served by Venjix's side, so eating this cereal was like a gourmet meal to her.

"I can't believe you found someone who loves that sugary slop as much as you." Flynn laughed with a full mouth.

"What can I say?" Ziggy said, leaning cockily back in his chair, "She obviously has great taste." He boasted, only causing him to fall all the way back in his chair, making Taryn chuckle. She immediately helped him up, looking at him like he was the most wonderful person in the world.

Suddenly, Dillon let out a loud yawn that caught the other's attention. "You alright?" Summer asked looking up at him, "You seem really tired this morning."

"Me? Oh, yeah. I just had a rough night last night." Dillon answered, staring a quick glance at Flynn, who knew the real reason for his fatigue. This only made Flynn shovel his bites in faster, desperate to keep his mouth shut.

"Really?" Summer asked with confusion. "Doing what? I passed your room last night and I noticed that you weren't in there." She said, causing Flynn to choke on his food. He thought he and Dillon were caught. "Are you alright, Flynn?"

"Aye. I'm fine. The eggs just went down a wrong pipe." He replied, glaring at Dillon.

"Maybe you should chew a little slower. Wouldn't want the Blue Ranger to be defeated by breakfast." Summer smiled at him.

"The reason I wasn't in my room last night was because I was training." Dillon chimed in. "My body's still not back to 100% after my 'encounter' with the Silver Swordsman." He told her.

The Black Ranger's words weren't really a lie, he _did_ have a fateful encounter with a past opponent. The Silver Swordsman was the reason for all of his problems, the reason he had lost Taryn in the first place, the reason he was an amnesiac, and the reason he had this virus to begin with.

Dillon and Taryn were trained by their parents to keep innocents safe in their hometown. And one day after the Venjix attacks began, an attack-bot, known as the Silver Swordsman, gave them their greatest challenge yet. He brutally attacked anyone and anything that got in his path, and Dillon and Taryn tried to save people from his rage. When Dillon saw a little girl in the swordsman's crosshairs, he leapt to save her, taking an attack himself. When Taryn went to save him, she got attacked as well, leaving the two of them in extremely critical condition.

Venjix took them in and changed every part of their body that was annihilated in that attack and exchanged it for robotic implants, hoping to change the two to his side to work for him. Then the day came for them to make their conversions, and the swordsman took Taryn and in Dillon's endeavors to save her, he lost any sense of who he was, or where he came from.

After Dillon and Taryn were finally reunited once again, the Silver Swordsman returned to settle the score. He wanted to destroy the both of them, staring with Taryn, but Dillon took the fall for her when he risked his life to destroy the man in silver once and for all.

Although Dillon did die on the battlefield, the pocket watch he held so dear held the only thing that could save him—a disc to fully regenerate one robotic being. Taryn had stolen it when she worked for the super computer known as Venjix. So the robotic parts of him he detested so much, ended up being able to save his life. But this left him a little banged up, trying to get back to his former ranger glory.

"Oh," Summer said, remembering that terrible time and stroking his shoulder gently, "just don't overdo it, okay? Losing you once was bad enough."

Dillon just looked across the table to see Flynn eyeing him again. "You got it." He answered. He then tilted her head up to him, giving her a sweet kiss.

As the team went on with their meal, they all noticed that one of the rangers was being noticeably quiet and not eating.

"Hey, Scott!" Ziggy called out to him. When he didn't get an answer, he decided to try again. "Yo, Scott!" he called out much louder. This made Scott jump out of his thoughts.

"What?" the Red Ranger asked with obviously irritability.

"Um…how's it going?" Ziggy asked, a bit thrown from his friend's harshness.

"Just fine." Scott answered coldly, finally taking a small bite of his food.

"Are you sure?" Summer chimed in. "You haven't said a word all morning and you've barely eaten anything."

"I'm fine." He said, still looking down at his plate. "I'm just not all that hungry, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Flynn asked him.

"Look!" Scott shouted, rising from the table, "I've already told you I'm fine! What is this '20 Questions' or something?!" he boomed, grabbing his jacket from his chair. "I'm going for a drive." He said coldly, piling into his car and driving off, tires screeching all the while.

"What'd I say?" Ziggy asked, holding his arms up.

Before anyone could answer, their morphers alerted the rangers to trouble. "Guess we'll have to find out later." Dillon answered, he and all around him rising from the table quickly.

"Should we call Scott?" Flynn asked.

"No, let's let him cool down first." Dillon replied. "We'll call him if things get rough."

"Let's head out then." Summer said, hoping onto her bike, and the other's into their vehicles, Taryn and Ziggy riding with Dillon.


	3. Copycat

As the rangers headed to their destination, they heard Doctor K come over their morphers.

"Rangers, I'm getting a strong distress signal in sector A-7, it's an attack-bot for sure." She told them.

"A-7?" Dillon said to himself in his car, "that's the abandoned warehouse." Normally, he and the others wouldn't be surprised by be dragged to a warehouse like this, due to the fact that it was basically a metal scrap dump and Venjix came here to get parts to create a new warrior. But this time it was different, it was the same warehouse where he and the others faced off with the Silver Swordsman, and it held nothing but bad memories. "Thanks, Doctor K." Dillon told her, screeching his car to a halt when he got there.

The rangers saw the Snap-Bot taking pictures of the few unlucky people who happened to be there. They ran about, fear overtaking them completely. As soon as the bot took their picture, it sent them to Venjix's Barricades. They also saw that generals Crunch and Shifter accompanied the Snap-Bot.

"Come on you doofy humans! Don't fight the inevitable!" Crunch yelled at the frightened people.

Dillon and the others all got out of their vehicles, slamming the doors behind them. "Stop right there!" the Black Ranger called out. "What do you think you're doing?!"

General Shifter turned when he heard the ranger's voices. "Oh, it's the Power Rangers. Like we didn't expect _them_ to show up!" he said sarcastically.

"Where are you taking all of those civilians?" Summer shouted out, pointing forward.

"Certainly not to Venjix's Barricades if _that's_ what you're thinking!" Crunch blabbed stupidly, covering his mouth after realizing his error.

"Crunch!!" Shifter screamed at him in fury.

"The Venjix Barricades? T-that's where Venjix l-lives…" Ziggy said nervously with a gulp.

"But why would Venjix capturer innocent people to send to his base?" Taryn asked her team. After a brief moment, the answer hit her and Dillon simultaneously. The super computer wanted to make all of those people into his personal army of attack-bots, much like he planned to do with Dillon and Taryn.

"This all ends here!" Flynn said, anger in his voice.

"Yeah, but…but how?" Ziggy asked him.

"I say," Dillon began, stepping forward and activating his morpher, "we attack now, and ask questions later." Then he glanced to the others who activated their morphers as well. "Ready?" he asked them. His team answered with a firm nod.

"RPM—Get in gear!" The rangers shouted in unison, morphing into their ranger forms.

Taryn joined in by simply spinning around, activating her Tenaya 7 form. "Systems online." She smirked with a small twist of her black glove. It felt weird for her to be in this form again, but she figured that as long as she had her powers, she may as well use them.

Ziggy just stared at her and the mask covering her face in awe. "I will _never_ get used to that." He said. Ziggy loved Taryn with all of his heart, but seeing her as Tenaya 7 shook him a little. But he knew deep down that she was the woman he loved and the evil had faded far away.

"Enough talk." Dillon said slyly, pulling out his main weapon. "Rocket Blaster!" he called out. The other rangers echoed his movements by pulling out their weapons as well.

"Careful, rangers!" Doctor K's voice said through their helmets, "I'm getting some very strong reading from this creature. Exercise extreme caution!" she warned them.

"Don't worry, Doc K. I've seen worse freaks than this before." Dillon said, aiming his blaster forward. "Let's move guys!" he shouted, he and his teammates charging forward. Generals Shifter and Crunch got into fighting stances. As Crunch began to run at the rangers, Shifter extended an arm to stop him.

"Leave this to the Snap-Bot." Shifter said calmly, completely unnerved at the ranger's threats. With that, the Snap-Bot charged back at the rangers and began rapidly snapping pictures of them. The random flashing made the rangers stop in their tracks.

"What's he doing?" Summer asked in confusion.

Her question was answered when she and the others saw the many photos fall to the ground, for as soon as they hit, exact copies of their weapons materialized before them. The Snap-Bot scooped up the four weapons and aimed them back at the rangers.

"How'd he do _that_?!" Taryn cried out.

"No way…" Dillon said lowly to himself.

"That brute's copied our weapons!" Flynn shouted, completely in awe as to what he had just seen.

General Shifter stepped forward proudly. "Yes, indeed, rangers. Capturing people isn't the Snap-Bot's only talent." The general boasted.

"Yeah! He can copy weapons too!" Crunch chimed in dimly.

"Well, these fakes can't be as strong as the real thing…can they?" Ziggy asked nervously.

"Let's find out. Shall we?" Shifter grinned, he and Crunch taking a cautionary step back. Then the Snap-Bot fired all of the weapons simultaneously, the Rocket Blaster, Turbo Cannon, Zip Charger, and throwing the Turbo Axe. The rangers watched in horror as they watched the blast grow closer to them.

But when Scott was away, Dillon took it as his responsibility to be the leader, and he wasn't just going to let his team be ambushed like this. So he jumped forward in front of all of them, activating his invincibility shield.

"Invincibility Shield!" he called out, extending the circular shield forward to protect his friends. But, having lost three seconds on his shield time, it timed out, causing the team to be hit by the blast and were thrown harshly to the ground.

"Ranger Series Black, what happened? Charts show you still had three seconds left!" Doctor K said through his helmet. Dillon and the others tried to force themselves from the ground.

"I just lost my balance, Doc. Won't happen again." Dillon lied. He knew the real reason behind his mistake; he just hoped that he'd be able to hide it.

"I guess that answers the 'are the fakes as powerful as the real things' question, doesn't it?" Shifter chuckled evilly.

"What do we do now?" Summer groaned, holding her side that she landed on.

"We call Scott." Dillon answered bluntly. He and the others barely were able to take a blast that powerful, and another one would be the end of them. Whatever Scott's dilemma

was, he'd have to put it aside for now—for his friend's sakes.

While his friends were engaged in battle, Scott was taking a much too fast drive around town. He had a harsh grip on the steering wheel as memories of his late brother flooded through his mind. He couldn't shake them, they seemed to find him everywhere. Marcus' voice sounded clear as day:

(Flashback)

_It wasn't any more than a few months ago. Scott, Marcus and the rest of the Eagle Squad troops were all at a meeting, planning their next battle strategies. Marcus stood in front of a white covered blackboard with a pointer while Scott and the rest of the team listened to his every word._

"_A Flux Over Thruster." Marcus said, pointing to a spot on the board behind him. "This miniature reactor core is going to be installed in the nose of my bird tonight. Now, I'll be honest with you people…I don't know what this thing is." He admitted, his little brother chuckling at his words. "But I know what it can do." He went on, pointing to random board points, "Increase speed, increase maneuverability, so I want everyone to stay close to me tonight." He continued with his father, Colonel Truman watching proudly. "Our mission is clear. Eagle Squad owns the sky, not Venjix. We maintain alley zone Delta until everyone is inside Corinth and the shields are raised tomorrow. Any questions?" he asked, looking over the room. Scott raised his hand immediately. _

"_But, sir, what's our exit plan?" Scott asked with concern. "How do we get our birds home once the shields __are__ raised?" _

_A sudden quaked shook the room violently. Objects fell from the walls and tables onto the floor. In mere seconds, it subsided. _

"_What's the matter, little brother? You wanna live forever?" Marcus asked in a teasing tone._

_(End Flashback)_

Scott was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of his morpher going off. He jumped as soon as he heard it. He didn't realize how far he had let his mind wander, or how long for that matter. Quickly and irritably, he grabbed his morpher from his pocket and flipped it open.

"This is Eagle One!" he said quickly, still snapping out of his fantasy. "I mean…Scott." He corrected himself.

"Scott, this is Dillon. We're in the middle of a battle with Venjix's newest freak and we really need your help." The Black Ranger said in a hurried voice. Scott could hear his and the other ranger's fighting calls through the feed. He knew that they needed his help and fast, but he didn't feel emotionally up to it, but that didn't matter. Being a ranger came first.

The Red Ranger sighed hard and ran his fingers through his high hair. "I'm on my way." He told him, flipping his morpher closed. After 180ing his car, he ran to rescue his friends.


	4. A Glitch in the Virus

While they awaited Scott's arrival, the rangers all struggled to get back on their feet. The last blast they took was a hard one, and it was tough to recover from. The Snap-Bot watched each of their movements with a close eye, making sure they didn't have anything up their sleeves.

General Shifter took a step forward and let out a hearty chuckle. "You know, rangers, I have to admit, I thought you'd be more of a challenge. I guess four colors aren't enough." He sneered.

"Then let's make it five!" a familiar voice shouted.

"It's Scott!" Summer shouted with relief as she watched the ranger in red descend his Street Saber on the general. When he was handled, he made his way over to the Snap-Bot.

"Scott, don't!" Dillon shouted to him. He knew that Scott wasn't aware of the Snap-Bot's powers, but he knew what to expect.

"Stop!" Flynn shouted out to him.

"He can copy our weapons!" Ziggy told him. His words made Scott stop in his tracks.

"What?" Scott asked, turning and leaving himself vulnerable. But before he could react, the Snap-Bot snagged a photo of the Street Saber, and made a copy of his own. Scott just looked at his opponent holding a weapon like his in shock. "No way!" he exclaimed.

Then the Snap-Bot went to strike—and fast.

"Look out, Scott!' Ziggy called out to him. But the Red Ranger was caught off guard by his being stunned, and was nailed by his own weapon. He was sent flying and landed next to his friends.

"What's up with this dude?!" Scott yelled in fury, using his saber as leverage to get to his feet.

"He can make a copy of anything he takes a picture of. _And _he's been capturing people all over Corinth and taking them back to Venjix's lair." Taryn explained.

"Indeed, Red Ranger." Shifter said, pushing himself up, recovering from Scott's attack. "The little traitor it correct. The Snap-Bot can copy anything and everything it wants. Allow me to demonstrate!!" he shouted, gesturing to the bot.

Taking his cue, the Snap-Bot leapt forward and took a picture of Scott, creating an exact replica of the Red Ranger, wielding a Street Saber.

"Up to speed?" Shifter asked in a snide tone.

"We have to do something. If he can copy more than our weapons, we're in trouble." Summer told her friends. "But what?"

"Weapons are out of the question, he'll just copy anything we throw out at him." Dillon said, trying to devise a plan.

"What about the zords? Would that work?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah, _against _us." Dillon replied, "We'll just have to use something he can't copy."

"Like what?!" Ziggy cried in horror.

"I say we go old school with combat. It's all we can do until we find a way to use our weapons safely."

"That _sounds_ easy enough." Flynn grumbled sarcastically.

"He's right." Scott said, leering at the Snap-Bot. "We have to do something, and we're going to do it now." When he stood, his friends stood next to him, ready to battle. Then the six colorful individuals all ran forward, ready to take on their opponents.

Dillon and Scott ran for the Snap-Bot, Summer and Ziggy made their way to General Crunch, and Flynn and Taryn ran for Shifter. Serious power went behind each punch and kick they threw, they figured that since this was the only way they could battle, they were going to do their best.

When the Black and Red Rangers made it to the sneaky Snap-Bot, it left from it's ranger form and back to it's original. Scott and Dillon got on both sides of the bot so he couldn't escape from their blows.

Although two rangers were fighting the Snap-Bot, they still struggled due to the fact that the bot came chock full of enhanced speed and strength. Dillon and Scott grabbed both of the bot's arms so that he couldn't take any more pictures, but he just simply leapt into the air and slammed Scott and Dillon into one another, and then followed up by kicking them both in the chests.

As the fight drug on, Doctor K watched from the Garage just in case she could be of any sort of assistance to the rangers. As she continued typing one keystroke after another, what she saw next on the screen made a serious look hit her face. One of the rangers was in trouble.

"Ranger Black!" She yelled into a mike attached to her computer, typing all the more quickly.

Dillon placed a hand against his helmet to hear what she was saying. "I'm a little busy here, Doc!" he shouted back to her while dodging a jump kick from the Snap-Bot.

"I'm getting dangerously high readings from the Venjix virus inside of you, it'll take over you in a matter of seconds. Disperse yourself from the group immediately!" she warned him.

"I've got it under control—don't worry about me." He told her, "I can't leave my team like this."

"That wasn't a request Ranger Series Black, that was an order! Retreat _now_!" she yelled to him once more.

But Dillon didn't listen, he just continued to fight along Scott, putting all of his hopes into Flynn's manipulation powers. He figured he could fight it long enough for it to work, he didn't see any other way. He soon began to feel the virus taking hold of his mind, the pain only made him attack the Snap-Bot harder.

"Ranger Series Black, you've only got a few seconds before it consumes you!" Doctor K shouted. She had once tried to put him offline, but found her efforts to be useless, she had no way to stop him from his actions, she only had to believe that he knew what he was doing. But all she saw on her monitors was Dillon continuing to battle, completely ignoring her orders. "Okay, Ranger Black, I hope you know the risks you're taking with this. The Venjix virus will activate in five…four…three…two…one."

As soon as she stopped her count, Dillon felt the darkness trying to pull him in. He fell to one knee with a tight grip on his helmet, trying as hard as he could to stay in control. When Scott saw what was happening to him, he threw the Snap-Bot off of him with incredible force.

"Black, what's wrong?" he asked, still trying to keep the Snap-Bot off of him, and Dillon.

As Taryn and Flynn's battle with Shifter commenced, Taryn noticed her brother crumple to the ground. She wanted nothing more than to run over to him, but Shifter was fighting her and Flynn hard, bound and determined not to let this plan fail. She was stuck.

Summer and Ziggy on the other hand were having a slightly easier time battling Crunch, seeing how he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but Summer noticed immediately when she saw the man that she loved hit the floor.

"No, not again…" Summer thought to herself, while battling Crunch. She already knew what was going on. She had seen it before; pretty soon she and the others would be fighting Dillon, no matter how much it hurt.

She threw Crunch off of her and made a beeline for the Black Ranger. She felt badly for leaving Ziggy all alone with an enemy, but she was confident in his skills as a ranger, and nothing was going to keep her from Dillon.

When she made it to him, she knelt beside him, grabbing his shoulders. She knew how hard it was for him to fight something like this, it wasn't as simple as shaking it off, he was a machine with a virus spreading throughout him. Something that she hadn't seen before was little pulses of blue energy surrounding him. "Come on, Dillon, fight it!" she yelled at him. Then she saw Dillon shake his head twice and steady himself. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I am now." He answered, breathing a sigh of relief. He was very relieved to know that he and Flynn's plan was working—or at least it was at the moment.

Summer's jaw practically dropped when she heard the sound of Dillon's voice, she didn't expect him to sound like himself. "What was that?" she asked, still completely throw by how this had resulted.

"Me taking my life back." He told her, stroking her shoulder, telling her that he was alright, and more importantly, himself.

Meanwhile, in the lab, Doctor K just watched in awe. She had never seen anything like this before, which surprised her seeing as how she had a hand in creating the Venjix virus. She thought she knew it up, down and sideways, nothing should have been able to stop it.

"How could he have done that?" she asked herself. "There isn't a cure for the virus." She reached her hand over to her mike and spoke into it. "Ranger Series Black, report back to the Garage for immediate observation." She told him in a stern voice.

"But Doc, I'm fine. I fought the virus off." He replied.

"I wasn't asking, Ranger Black." The doctor told him firmly.

"I can't just leave my team when we're in the middle of a battle!" he shouted at her.

"Dillon," Scott said suddenly, warding off the Snap-Bot, "I'm team leader and I say you listen to her!"

"But—" Black began.

"Go, Dillon! That's an order!" Scott shouted harshly.

Dillon pounded the ground in fury. "Damn it!" he yelled, then stood to his feet and coldly walked away. Summer just watched him go sadly. She knew what the real problem was, it wasn't that he had to leave the battle, it was the fact that he thought he had the virus controlled and was still being treated like a threat. All Dillon wanted was to fit in, and as long as he had the Venjix virus, that feat seemed close to impossible.

"Pity." Shifter sneered at the team. "It seems like whenever you gain a ranger, you lose a ranger. Seems like you guys just can't get it together." He snickered.

Summer balled her fists in fury. "This is ridiculous!" she shouted as loud as she could. "Scott!" she continued turning to the Red Ranger.

"Yeah, Yellow?" he replied, kicking the Snap-Bot in the gut away from him.

"It seems the only thing he can copy is inanimate objects and people." She explained. "But he can't copy our attacks. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked him slyly.

"Burst Attacks?" he answered with a smirk.

"You got it." She said. "Let's teach him not to mess with us."

Then the Red and Yellow Rangers stood side-by-side preparing their specialty attacks. Each ranger glowed their corresponding color as they charged their powers up.

"Burst Attack!" they called out in unison. Red and Yellow energies pulsed out of them and charged towards their target. It hit all three of their enemies, sending them crashing hard into the cement.

"Copy _that_." Scott said, folding his arms. He and Summer high-fived at their doing.

Shifter, Crunch and the Snap-Bot all mustered themselves to their feet, groaning painfully as they did so.

"You may have out smarted us _this_ time, rangers," Shifter told them painfully, "but this is _far_ from over!" he yelled, turning and walking away with the Snap-Bot.

"Ye-yeah! _Super_ far!" Crunch added, fumbling behind his two leaders. "Like, light years awa—"

"Quiet you idiot!!" Shifter shouted, grabbing Crunch by the arm and dragging him along. "We'll meet again, rangers. And soon." He sneered at them, and then the three teleported back to their base.

Flynn, Ziggy and Taryn all ran over to Scott and Summer, where all of them demorphed.

"Well, that was…time consuming." Ziggy said, throwing his hands to the back of his head.

"We have to find all of the people Venjix has captured. We can't let what happened to Dillon and me happen to them…they may not be as lucky." Taryn told them, sadly. "As lucky as me anyways." She added. It never had hit her until just now that she was the lucky one in all of this. Although she and Dillon did find one another again and were fighting for the side of good, she knew that her brother may not be on that side for much longer.

"Wait…what?" Scott asked, thrown by Taryn's comment. He hadn't been brought up to speed yet seeing as how he entered the battle later than the others.

"Venjix is using the Snap-Bot to bring people back to his base to work for him. We're thinking he wants to turn them into Grinders or something, or do to them what he did to Taryn and Dillon." Flynn explained.

"Well, we have to save them!" Scott shouted.

"I agree." Summer chimed in. "But we need both Dillon and Taryn for that…they're the only ones who know what to expect."

"Well, let's hope that whatever Doctor K's doing with him, she does fast." Scott said. "Let's go." He ordered them, then he and his team made way for the Garage to join Dillon.


	5. Acceptance

In Venjix's lair, General Shifter, Crunch and the Snap-Bot all sulked into the room dejectedly. They had a hunch as to what was waiting for them when they arrived and it wasn't good. Venjix had given them a mission to follow and they failed it. Thoughts about their impending punishment flooded through their minds.

Back in his computer form, Venjix turned the horrible red eye of his to face them. And although they couldn't see what Venjix was feeling, they sure felt it in the room—tension, and lots of it.

"I'm surprised that you three had the nerve to show your faces here again after a failure like that!" he screamed at them.

"We have good reason, Master Venjix." Shifter informed him, stepping forward. He had noticeable fear in his voice.

"That being?" Venjix asked coldly.

"Whereas the Snap-Bot can copy any _object _around him, he doesn't bode so well with direct attacks." Shifter explained, hoping that Venjix wouldn't blast him where he stood.

"Those rangers fried us with their burst attacks pretty nice!" Crunch exclaimed, mimicking Scott and Summer's action when they summoned their attacks. Venjix didn't even dignify his behavior with a response, he just took this as his cue to blast the general, who fell to the floor into a pile.

"Now _you're_ fried, you moron." Venjix grumbled.

"Master Venjix, we are truly sorry that your plan didn't go the way it should have, but we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to you." Shifter assured his boss.

"It's obvious that we're not hurting the rangers physically, at least not while they have their special attacks. So we'll attack them on another front—emotionally." Venjix sneered.

"How do we do that?" Shifter asked.

"Bring me subjects D45 and D46 from the prison cells. They'll be our best bargaining chip yet." Venjix told him.

Shifter paused for a moment at his words. "You mean Edward and Eva Preston? Why them?" the general asked.

"They have their purpose in this—trust me. We can use them to get to the rangers, it'll be the perfect trap." Venjix snickered.

"Right away, Master Venjix." Shifter said with a bow and left the room momentarily. A few minutes later he returned with two civilians being restrained by Grinders. They both had dark brown hair and eyes. They seemed to be in their late thirties. The woman was petite and wearing a dark grey jumpsuit. The man wore the same thing, but he was much taller than the woman and had a tough build and feathery hair.

Venjix let out an evil chuckle when the subjects arrived. "Hello subjects D45 and 46. It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked them in a patronizing tone.

"What do you want with me and my wife, Venjix?! Let us go!" the man known as Edward screamed at him.

"'What do I want?' You ask?" Venjix asked them. "Nothing much, just your identities."

"Our identities? What are you talking about?!" Edward yelled again.

The woman next to him was struggling as hard as she could to break free from the Grinder's grip. "Where are my kids?!" she cried, "What have you done with them?!"

"Try to be calm, Eva. When you're this upset, you're only letting him win." He husband said to her. She glanced over at his face and nodded her head. She may not of had her kids with her at the moment, but she was happy she had the love of her life standing beside her.

"Let's get down to business." Venjix went on. "Snap-Bot, do you thing." He ordered him. Then the Snap-Bot walked right in front of the couple and snapped a bright picture of each of them. As soon as they fell to the floor, the pictures turned into exact clones of Edward and Eva.

Edward just looked at the clones before him and then to Venjix. Hatred was pouring from his eyes. He felt helpless. He had no clue where his kids were, and he managed to allow him and his wife to get captured. Needless to say, he was furious.

"I'll get you for this, Venjix." He sneered, glaring daggers at the super computer.

"I'm afraid…you won't." Venjix answered snidely. "Snap-Bot, return them to their cells at once." He ordered the bot.

Listening to his master, the Snap-Bot grabbed Edward and Eva by their arms and began to drag them back to their cells much to their dismay. Right before the doors closed behind him he heard Venjix call out to him.

"Snap-Bot!" he yelled, the bot turning to face him. "Don't forget what your next task is." He said in a mischievous voice. With that, the Snap-Bot just nodded and continued to take the couple back to their holding cells.

Venjix let out a booming laugh when the prisoners were gone. "Things are about to get interesting." He sneered evilly. He had never been more proud of any plan until now, and he didn't see any way that it could fail. It was like he had the rangers in the palm of his hand.

It was just like before. Doctor K had Dillon strapped to a chair head to toe. He couldn't move a muscle while Doctor K ran some tests on her computer. He hated this chair, black and hard as a rock. And just the fact that he was strapped to it meant that the doctor didn't think he could be trusted, that he was a threat to those he held dear—he couldn't stand it. She ran a light scanner up and down his body over and over again. The whirring from it was beginning to drive him nuts.

Dillon let out a hard sigh and rolled is eyes. "I don't see why any of this is necessary!" he yelled at her. "I fought off the virus and the team is safe. Why are you doing this?"

Doctor K abruptly stopped scanning him and shut the light off, glaring at him. "Your not attacking the team in the last battle you fought isn't relevant at the moment." She told him coldly, walking over to another computer.

"How isn't it?!" he yelled. "I thought the whole reason the virus was a threat was because it made me lose control of myself! You saw that in that battle I didn't!" Dillon was furious. He never imagined that he'd be in this position again, not after what he and Flynn did that night to prevent it.

"Right now I need to find out how the virus was manipulated, and by who." She told him. She didn't even look at him, just typed endlessly on her keyboard.

"Can't you just be happy that I've got this under control?" he asked her, the tone in his voice completely different. He almost sounded hurt, hurt that she couldn't trust him.

The doctor halted her work and just looked at the Black Ranger. "Under control?" she asked with offense. "Do you have any idea how strong this virus is?"

"Yeah. It had a hold of my sister, remember?" he snapped back.

"As well as you." She said, rising from her desk. "Do you want to go back to the way things were? The way _you_ were when the Silver Swordsman had a hold of your mind?" As she made her way over to him she noticed that he was quiet, he didn't have a response to her words. He just averted his gaze from hers. Deep down he knew she was right. He hated himself for what he did when he was under the swordsman's control; he lived with the consequences everyday. He almost destroyed his friends back then and ultimately ended up being destroyed himself. If his friends had given up on him, he wouldn't even be here. These were pieces of his past best forgotten.

"It's different this time." He said softly, still unable to look at her.

"And how's that, Ranger Black?" Doctor K asked him, looking down at him.

Dillon paused before he answered. He didn't know what to say. Maybe it wasn't different this time. Maybe he was still a big a threat as ever. Before he could say a word, the rest of the team drove in.

"Is everything okay?" Summer asked, dismounting her bike and removing her helmet. She booked over to him as soon as she could.

The others made their way over to him as well. "Why are you in this get-up again?" Scott asked, looking at the confined ranger.

"Because the Doc is taking _unnecessary _precautions because of my past." Dillon told them, hatred in his voice.

"Did the virus take over him again?" Taryn asked, looking from her brother to the doctor.

"It tried too." Doctor K told them. "And I assure you that any precautions I take are always necessary."

"Then what's this all about?" Summer asked irritably. She didn't like seeing Dillon like this the first time, and wanted to know why it was happening again.

Doctor K just walked over to her computer monitor and turned the screen towards the rangers. On the screen showed an x-ray of Dillon's robotic implants and little blue surges of energy flowing throughout them. "Apparently the virus tried to take over Ranger Operator Series Black—"

"Dillon." Summer corrected her. Dillon just looked up at her with a small smile. He knew that no matter how bad things were, he could always count on her to be fighting with him.

Doctor K just rolled her eyes and continued. "And somehow the process was stopped." Her words made Flynn shift uneasily as she pointed at the screen.

"What's all of the blue stuff?" Ziggy asked, pointing at the screen as well.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Doctor K sighed. "It appears that whoever implanted these surges into the Series Black Morpher put a hold on it—preventing me from finding out what it is."

"W-wait." Flynn chimed in nervously. "Isn't it a good thing that the virus didn't take over Dillon?"

"Not necessarily." Doctor K told him. "The virus inside of the Black Ranger is a strong one—"

"You should know, having created it." Dillon mumbled under his breath.

"Dillon…" Summer said softly. She knew that he knew he was out of line, and any other time he would have gotten called out on it, but given the circumstances, she didn't blame him.

Doctor K just rolled her eyes and continued. "So far, there is no known cure for this virus, and whatever this new substance is isn't helping him, it's only holding it off temporarily." She explained.

"So, what does this all mean?" Taryn asked worriedly.

"It means…this is only preventing the inevitable." The doctor told them bluntly. "The Venjix Virus will continue to spread within him until he is taken over entirely. This just buys him a little time." Doctor K could see the somber looks on all of the rangers and Taryn's faces when she told them the news. She watched Dillon glare at the computer screen that showed the rate the virus was spreading. The hatred in his eyes was clear. He never wanted to be a threat to the team, but so far, that's all he felt like.

"Time we can use to find a cure." Summer said, trying to be hopeful. She turned to Dillon with loving eyes. "And we will."

"I wouldn't count on it, Ranger Series Yellow. The virus has been around for two years and so far no one has gotten any closer to discovering a cure." The doctor informed her.

"So are we supposed to just stand by and let my brother turn into a machine?" Taryn asked in a worried tone.

"I'm sorry that I was so blunt with you, rangers. I just want you to be prepared…for whatever happens." Doctor K said. She felt badly having been as harsh as she was with news this bad, but she couldn't help it. She was raised to not be close to others, and she planned on keeping it that way. "Nothing is going to stop Ranger Black from becoming a machine." She added, secretly hating how cold she sounded.

"Enough of this!" Dillon shouted as he tore himself free from the straps on the chair.

"What are you doing, Ranger Series Black?!" Doctor K yelled while watching him escape.

Dillon walked right up to her face angrily. "For a walk." He told her. "Wanna stop me? Go for it." He warned her, storming out of the Garage.

Doctor K just shook her head. "_That_ was unfortunate." She said, unfazed by Dillon's actions.

"I agree with him." Summer joined in, walking up to the doctor as well. "You're treating him like some sort of animal that needs to be confined."

"Until the virus inside of him is removed, he is a threat that _should_ be confined." Doctor K assured her.

"Well, I think you're wrong." Summer said, heading out of the room.

"Summer—" Scott began.

"No, Scott." She cut him off, turning around.

"Ranger Black has almost destroyed you on multiple occasions, do you not recall that?" Doctor K asked her in a snide tone.

"That wasn't his fault!" Summer snapped back at her.

"That didn't stop him, did it?" Doctor K responded.

Summer just scoffed at the doctor's words. "Can I ask you something, Doctor K?" she asked. "Why should Dillon even bother being our ally when he gets treated like an enemy either way?" the room was silent, waiting for Doctor K's answer. After a few moments of nothing, _that_ was Summer's answer. "That's what I thought." She said, heading upstairs to cool off.

The room was still silent after she left. Everyone knew that Summer was right and had a point. It seemed that no matter what Dillon did, Doctor K didn't except him. Sure, he had made mistakes but everyone had. Even Doctor K herself.

"Maybe we should cut Dillon a break." Flynn said, breaking the silence. "He and Taryn _have_ been through an awful lot lately."

"Yeah." Ziggy agreed. "Maybe Taryn can—" when he turned to Taryn, he noticed that she was gone. "Taryn?" he asked, looking around the room.

Taryn had slipped out of the room after her brother. She saw that he was outside. She ran to catch up to him, which wasn't difficult because he seemed to be walking slowly and aimlessly. "Dillon, wait!" she called out to him.

Dillon stopped and turned to her. "What for? I'm a threat to you all." He said. Taryn could tell in the tone of his voice that the way Doctor K was acting was getting to him.

"She just doesn't get it, Dillon." Taryn told him. "She doesn't understand."

"She acts like it's _my_ fault!" he shouted, walking back and forth. "I didn't choose to be in that accident, I didn't choose for you and I to be turned into machines, I didn't choose for this virus to take over me and I definitely didn't choose for us to not remember a thing about our lives or our family!" he shouted, kicking the trash can next to him.

Taryn grabbed his arm to calm him. "I know." She said softly. "Me neither. It's hard starting over not knowing who you are or where you're from. Doctor K just needs time to get to know the real you." She told him.

"But _I_ don't know the real me, Taryn!" he screamed.

"I don't either!" she yelled back. "All we have to build on is the present! I know Doctor K will eventually see the goodness in you—in us!"

Dillon sighed and sat against a tree. He hated that he vented to his sister and was now kicking himself. "This virus is taking away the good in me, and I won't be able to stop it from taking over me completely." He said sadly, staring at the ground.

Taryn sat beside and wrapped an arm around her brother. "But we'll be here to help you any way we can. You're not alone; Dillon, and you never will be again. Me and the rangers are going to help you beat this together." She assured him.

"I hope we can…before it's too late." He said lowly. Then the two heard Dillon's morpher go off. He looked at the morpher on his wrist to see where the trouble was. "There's trouble in the Town Square—I have to go." He said standing.

"Right behind you." Taryn replied, standing as well. Then the two ran off to the lab for their briefing.


	6. A Couple Familiar Faces

All of the rangers scurried back into the lab to see who the threat was and what it was planning on doing. Doctor K brought up the exact location of the latest attack-bot.

"Target is in sector E-4 of the Town Square." She informed the team.

"Then that's where _we_ are." Scott announced. "Let's move out team!"

When all of the rangers and Taryn headed out the door, Doctor K noticed that Dillon was heading out with them. "So you're joining them, Ranger Series Black?" she asked with snide in her voice.

Dillon just rolled his eyes and turned to her. "My name is Dillon and yes." He told her firmly.

"You _are_ aware that your virus can override this 'new' program inside you, leaving you're entire team and not to mention your sister in grave danger?" she asked him, folding her arms.

"_You_ created the Venjix Virus. If you see me get out of control, all you have to do is shut me down." Dillon told her, turning to leave again.

"Don't think I won't. Keeping this team safe is my top priority." she said.

Upon hearing her words Dillon stopped again and turned to her. "You know, Doctor K, I know I'm not perfect—far from it actually, but I'd like to think that I've contributed a lot to this team. The others have seen the goodness in me…I just wish you'd see it too." He told her sadly, then turned and left with the others.

Dillon's words seemed to stir something deep within Doctor K. She knew that he had a good heart; she had seen it first hand. He risked his life to save his sister against the Silver Swordsman not long ago and ended up ultimately dying himself because of it. If Taryn hadn't stolen that disc at Venjix's lair, he would have died—died saving someone. And upon recalling that made the doctor's eyes well up, she felt about an inch tall. She judged someone for their past that had accepted hers. Accepted her for creating the Venjix Virus. She closed her eyes and sighed as a tear fell down her cheek.

The rangers followed Doctor K's coordinates into the Town Square. When they arrived there, the Snap-Bot was nowhere to be found, all they saw was Generals Crunch and Shifter attacking an innocent couple.

"Hey!" Scott called out. "Leave them alone!"

Upon hearing the Red Ranger's demands, the generals halted their attacks and turned towards the colorful team.

"Ah, rangers. I see you've decided to join us." Shifter laughed. "What kept you?"

"Was it because you were too busy fighting Ranger Black?" Crunch chimed in with a geeky laugh.

Dillon tried to shake off their words, but felt himself balling his fists tightly in anger. "Just let the couple go and fight us head on!" he yelled to them.

"Make us!" Shifter shouted back.

Dillon pulled out his Nitro Sword a twirled it about. "Have it your way." He said lowly. Then without hesitation, he darted towards his targets.

"Let's give him a hand!" Summer shouted. But as she and the others ran to aid their teammate, General Shifter sent a sea of Grinders their way to keep them busy. General Shifter couldn't help but grin as he watched the ranger in black make a beeline for him.

"That's it…" he hissed lowly to himself. "…fall right into our trap…"

Dillon made it to the couple that, little did he know, was Edward and Eva. He jumped in front of them so they wouldn't take anymore of Shifter's attacks. "Are you two alright?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Ye-yes." The woman answered with fright, grabbing her partner tightly.

"You came just in time! We thought we were done for!" The man told him.

"Don't worry." He told them. "I—" he froze when he turned to see them. Just seeing their faces shook him to the core. He knew that he had seen them somewhere before. "I…I know you." He said in a shaky voice. He retracted his helmet to get a better look at them. "Mom? Dad?" he asked, a smile coming across his face.

As soon as he removed his helmet, the mom stood in awe. "Dillon?" she asked with teary, wide eyes.

"Son?" the man added, standing as well. The three went into a tight embrace almost instantly. Dillon may not have known anything about his past, but he knew his parents when he saw them, and he knew, without a doubt, that they were.

"I can't believe I finally found you." Dillon told them softly. "I thought we'd lost you forever."

"We?" Eva asked, pulling slowly away from him.

"Yeah. Taryn's here too. I found her not too long ago." Dillon told them with a smile.

"Where is she?" Edward asked excitedly.

"She's right over here." Dillon told them, heading over to her. "I can't believe that—" he began until he felt a searing pain in his head, which only indicated that the virus was trying to take over him. He exclaimed loudly and fell to one knee. He tried as hard as he could to fight it, hoping with every second that Flynn's power would hold it off.

"Son, are you alright?" Edward asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Eva asked, kneeling beside him.

When Taryn saw that her brother was struggling, she knew why. So she kicked the Grinders off of her as hard as she could and ran over to him. "Oh, Dillon." She said sadly, kneeling next to him as well. "Come on, I know you can fight this!" she yelled loudly, desperate to get through to him.

"Oh, but Taryn, why would he want to do that?" Edward asked her in an evil voice.

"What?" Taryn yelled, looking at them. Her eyes grew wide with fear when she saw their eyes glowing red.

"Your brother's coming with us!" Eva sneered, grabbing Taryn by the arm.

"No!" Taryn screamed, struggling to break free. "Let go of me! I have to help my brother!!"

Just as Eva began to drag her away, the two saw Dillon look up at them with red eyes of his own. He looked at both of the girls, almost like he was trying to decide which one to attack. But the strange thing was, he didn't attack Taryn, he attacked Eva, freeing his sister from her grip. Afterwards, he collapsed to the ground, drained of energy. Edward and Eva scurried over to him and grabbed him. The attack threw Taryn a pretty far distance, landing hard on her right side.

"Dillon, no!" Taryn cried. She began to run to him, but the blast had blown her a far distance from her to them and her right arm was completely limp. She fell hard to the ground.

"Taryn!!" Ziggy screamed, running to her.

Shifter joined Edward and Eva with a wicked laugh. "Perfect! If the Black Ranger won't join us from the virus, we'll _make_ him join us!"

Crunch ran next to Shifter. "Yeah! Time for us to peace-out!" he yelled, making a peace sign with his fingers. Then he, Shifter, Edward, Eva, and a very weakened Dillon, all teleported back to the Venjix Barricades.

When Ziggy finally made it to Taryn, he saw her squirming on the ground, cradling her right arm close to her. "Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing her arm to help her up.

"Aah!" She screamed in pain. Ziggy had unknowingly grabbed her injured arm when he was trying to help her up.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" he said quickly. He took her other arm and hoisted her to her feet. "What happened?"

"I landed on my arm and I think I broke it." She said in a pained and shaky voice.

Next, Summer and Scott ran over to her. "Taryn, what happened?" the Red Ranger asked her.

"D-Dillon was taken away." She told him with a wince.

"What?!" Summer cried. "By who?!"

"The Snap-Bot…" she answered sadly, "…disguised as our parents." Taryn couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. She never imagined that her parents would have any part in this. It bothered her that the first time she got to see hr parents faces, they attacked her—even if it was just the Snap-Bot.

"Then we need to go after him!" Summer yelled, beginning to run after him.

"Hold on!" Scott yelled, grabbing her arm to stop her. "You can't just wander into Venjix's base alone. Besides…this may be a good thing."

"A _good___thing?!" Summer scoffed. "How do you figure that?!" Summer didn't mean to sound as loud and furious as she did, but the man that she had fallen in love with was in danger, and she wanted to do anything she could to save him.

"Because now we have someone on the inside of Venjix's base to save all of those people, _including _their parents." Scott assured her.

"But what about the virus? You saw it trying to take over him in battle just now and you know it weakens him!" Summer shouted

Scott just paused and sighed. "We'll just have to hope that this mysterious new hardware holds off the virus long enough to allow him and the civilians escape." He said. He hated that he didn't have a better plan to tell the Yellow Ranger, but he figured bring straight with her was better than giving her false hope.

Flynn on the other hand felt his stomach turn when he heard Scott's plan. He was aware that the 'mysterious' new hardware fighting off Dillon's virus was none other than his own time manipulation ability, which would protect him but only temporarily. On top of that, he was being taken to Venjix's lair with his invincibility shield time shortened. He hoped that Scott and the others wouldn't see him shifting nervously back and forth, basically giving him away. For he knew it was only matter of time before Doctor K got to the bottom of this.

"First things first." Ziggy said suddenly. "We need to get Taryn back to the Garage and get her arm fixed. Then we can come up with a real plan." He stroked Taryn's back gently to make her feel better. She just turned to him and smiled, mouthing 'thanks' to him.

"Ziggy's right." Scott told his team. "Let's head back to the Garage and give Doctor K a status report."

With that, he and the others all made their way back to their vehicles. Summer walked slowly behind them just staring into space. When Flynn saw her like this he turned around to check on her.

"Are you okay Summer?" he asked her.

Summer just shrugged with teary eyes. "I don't know." She said sadly. Flynn just looked at her for a moment, feeling that all of this was his fault. He knew something like this was bound to happen and hated every second of it. He just wrapped his arms around her and gave her the friendly consoling she needed.

"Don't worry, lass." He told her sweetly. "We'll figure something out."


	7. Burning at Both Ends

Inside of the Venjix Barricades, the Edward and Eva clones had a tight grip on Ranger Black's arms. He wanted desperately to break free of the hold the couple had on him, but he felt achingly tired from the amount of energy it took him to fight the virus taking over him. Generals Crunch and Shifter walked beside him making sure that he didn't try anything shady. Little did they know Dillon couldn't pour himself a glass of water right now let alone make a daring escape.

As the heavy metal doors swung open before him, he saw Venjix's lair. Machinery and Grinders were everywhere. And dead ahead of him was none other than Venjix himself, back in his super computer form, that bright red eye starring down at him.

"Ah, the Venjix Barricades," Dillon said with a feigned contented sigh, "who says you can't go home again?" he joked. Though Dillon never thought of this place as 'home' he had been here his share of times and this was where he and Taryn got their robotic implants.

"Shut up!" Crunch huffed as the evil couple threw the Black Ranger to the ground.

Dillon crashed into the floor and fought to push himself up. Venjix turned his red eye back at the ranger on the floor. "Good to see you again Ranger Series Black, or should I say subject D44?" he hissed evilly at him.

"My name is Dillon!" the Black Ranger screamed, making it to one knee. "Where are my parents?! What have you done with them?!"

"Don't worry—they're here." Venjix answered slyly. "Besides, it's not them I want. It's you."

"And why is that? My creative taste in clothing?" Dillon asked sarcastically. He was relieved when he was eventually able to make it to his feet. He wasn't so sure that smarting off to the evil genius hell bent on destroying Corinth was the best way to go, but he thought that was better than letting him see how weak he felt.

"Joke all you want, Ranger Black. But you know as well as I do that my virus is spreading through your body as we speak. You won't be able to fight it no matter how hard you try." Venjix snickered proudly.

"Really?" Dillon snapped back. "Because I _have_ been fighting it. I'm not going to let it take over me again." He told him, walking closer. "I'm not the same captive you and the Silver Swordsman caught months ago. A lot has changed."

"Is that right?" Venjix retaliated, "I may not know how you were able to fight off my virus but I know that either way, it _will_ overtake you." He warned him.

"I won't let it." Dillon assured him.

"Still saying that are you?" Venjix sneered at him. "Maybe this will change your mind…"

Dillon turned his head to the right when he heard doors open. His eyes grew wide when he saw what he did. It was two Grinders dragging a couple into the room. They resembled the couple that had caught him earlier, which was odd because they were standing right behind him. But this couple was in prison-like clothing, long black cloaks draped over them. He knew in a second who they were.

"Mom! Dad!" he shouted, running over to them. But before he made it to them, Venjix shot a blast at him, preventing him from doing so. He landed hard on the ground in front of them.

"Dillon!!" Eva cried as she watched her son hit the floor.

Dillon let out a pained groan as he fought to make it back to his feet again. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Mom…Dad…" he said once more, coughing trying to catch his breath.

"I see that I have your attention now, ranger." Venjix said coldly. "Now on to what I need from you."

"I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt my parents…please." Dillon said sadly in defeat. He never took his eyes off of his parents, he was afraid that if he did, he'd never see them again.

"I want you and all of your friends to fight alongside me to destroy this pathetic little city." Venjix told him. "I know this sounds like a next to impossible tasks, but that's why _you're_ going to do it for me."

"I'm not going to just hand my friends over to you, Venjix!!" Dillon screamed at the computer, whipping around to face him.

"Even if that meant risking you parent's lives!" Venjix shouted back at him.

Dillon paused after he heard his enemy's last statement. He felt like he was backed into a corner. He would have to risk the lives of the people he loved and cared about, and either way, someone would get hurt. It was an impossible decision.

"Damn!" Dillon shouted, punching the wall next to him.

"Don't do it for us, son." His father said in a kind voice, he knew his son was being tormented with a horrible choice and wanted to make it easier.

"Corinth needs the Power Rangers to protect it and it's civilians!" Eva cried to her son.

Dillon just looked to his parents with sad eyes. These were the only people in the world that could help him and Taryn figure out their past, and even though he didn't know much about them, he knew one thing: he loved them and couldn't destroy them—he just couldn't.

"Oh, how noble." Venjix said with disgust. "I figured an ex Navy SEAL and an award winning scientist would say something like this. So, I'll make this more interesting." He went on, the doors next to him opening. Out came a Grinder holding a prisoner wrapped in the same cloak like his parents. Dillon couldn't tell who the person was due to a hood covering their face. "Do as I say, or I'll destroy this captive as well." Venjix threatened him.

Then the Grinder pulled off the prisoner's hood. Dillon couldn't believe who he saw before him. "No way." He said to himself.

"So what will it be, Ranger Black?" Venjix asked, hurrying his decision. Dillon just looked from the new captive he just saw, to his parents. His situation was like a candle burning at both ends, not matter what choice he made, he knew he was going to get burned.


	8. Tough Love

Meanwhile, back in the Garage, Taryn was busy getting her arm in a cast and repaired while Scott and the others searched all over Corinth for Dillon. They had an inkling of where he was but they couldn't be sure. And knowing that Venjix's lair had a block in the Black Ranger's morpher, only made their endeavors that more difficult.

After hours of getting nothing, Scott decided to go to his father, Colonel Truman for help. Seeing as how his father kept watch on the shields all night and day, he thought he might have seen where the Black Ranger was taken too. Another reason he was having a hard time was because he still couldn't shake the nightmare he had of his brother's death, it was following him around like a rain cloud, affecting his performance in battle. As soon as the Red Ranger walked in the room, Colonel Truman immediately noticed his son's defeated disposition.

The Colonel folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Rough day out there, son?" he asked in a snide tone.

"What?" Scott asked with surprise. He had no idea that his father was even watching their latest battle, so his words threw him off.

"One of your teammates was captured, were they not?" Colonel Truman asked in the same cold tone as he began shuffling through papers on his desk.

"I did everything I could!" Scott shouted in his defense. "I couldn't stop Dillon from doing what he thought was right. He made his choice when he pushed Taryn away from those freaks!"

"If you had given your team the proper orders, you wouldn't even be here right now." Truman snapped back. "It's obvious your mind was elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" Scott scoffed. "My mind is always 100% on the battle at hand! I would never put my team in—"

"Danger?" the Colonel interrupted, looking at his son sternly. "Then where is Ranger Black?" he asked.

Scott let out a sharp sigh. "Look, Dad, I know that I've seemed a little…lost lately, but I promise you that that's not the reason Dillon was captured." He told him. The look on his face showed how serious was he was, and that he felt bad for his actions on the battlefield.

"You know, son," The Colonel said, rising from his desk, "you eventually have to move on from what happened to Marcus."

"What?" Scott asked in disbelief.

"I've noticed from the day his bird went down, it's been hanging over you. Am I wrong?" his father asked him.

"No, but—"

"Marcus is gone, son." Truman said bluntly. "I've made my peace with it…you need to as well."

"Make my peace with it?!" Scott screamed, pounding his hands on his dad's desk. "My brother is _dead_! Dead! He's not coming back, and you're going to stand there and tell me to make my peace with it?! I can't do that!" he went on, turning around, placing his hands on his head.

"You have to if you want to remain team leader." Truman said coldly, not budging from his son's outburst. "Your mourning is putting your team in danger."

"My _mourning_?!" Scott asked, whipping around to Colonel Truman, "I never got a chance to mourn my brother's death, because hours later you came to me demanding that I be a ranger!"

"If you want to find out more about Ranger Black's capture, I suggest you review the battle tapes Doctor K records." Truman said, retuning to his desk, completely ignoring his son's words.

Scott sighed and placed a hand on his face. "I can't believe this." His began, closing his eyes. "I can't believe I came here actually expecting help from you."

"Help…or pity?" The Colonel asked him.

Scott didn't say a word. He just looked at his father with hurt eyes. He wanted his father to understand his plight more than anything, but didn't expect it. His father was trained to be strong no matter what situation occurred. But the Red Ranger was worried that his strong demeanor had made him heartless. When he couldn't bear to look at his father anymore, he began to storm out of the room.

"Son!" Colonel Truman called out to him, rising again from his desk. Scott stopped, rolled his eyes and turned to face his father. "I may be your father but I am also your superior, and you _will_ treat me with respect." He said firmly.

"Fine." Scott replied sadly, forming a salute. "I'm leaving, _Colonel Truman_." With that, he turned and left the room. This was the first time that Scott had ever called his father anything other than 'dad' since he was born, and it didn't sit well with the Colonel. His 'tough love' approach he had with Scott was coming back to haunt him, and he began to doubt himself while he watched his son storm out of his office.

At the Garage, Ziggy was busy tying Taryn's arm in a sling. He wanted to be as gentle as he could with her seeing as how he loved her so much. Which was why he kicked himself when he felt her jump.

"S-sorry, I'm sorry!" he told her again and again.

"It's fine, Zig. _I'm_ fine." She assured him, stroking his head with her free hand.

"Man," he began, continuing on her arm, "you really landed hard on your arm there. This should fix it, though."

Taryn just watched him work with loving eyes. "Thanks, Ziggy." She said with a smile.

When Ziggy finished, he took a step back so he could see his work. "Well? How's that?" he asked her.

She glanced at her arm then back to him. "Perfect." She said, still smiling at him. Then the two leaned in and shared a kiss with one another. Ziggy pet her injured arm gently as he kissed her. When the kiss ended, he saw a sad look take over her face. He knew what the problem was and sat next to her.

"Do you wanna…talk about what happened?" he asked her. Taryn just answered with a light shrug. "You know, Dillon's going to be alright." He assured her. "He's gotten out of tighter spots than this."

"It's not just that." She replied softly.

"Then what is it?" he asked.

"The Snap-Bot was able to make copies of our parents, which means they have to be alive." She explained.

"Right." Ziggy nodded along. "Alive is good—great actually."

"But alive and captured by Venjix." She said, panic filling her voice. "I mean, it's bad enough that he has my brother again, but now he has my mother and father too?" Ziggy just nodded and listened with sad eyes; he didn't know what to say. "I barely got a glimpse of them before they were gone again." She went on.

Just then, Colonel Truman began to enter the room looking for Scott, but he stopped when he heard Ziggy and Taryn talking about something that was obviously important. So he just stood behind the doorway and listened. He was afraid if he left, they'd noticed he was there.

"It's the worst feeling in the world losing someone you love. You just have this feeling of pure…emptiness that can't be filled. And every moment you spent with that person becomes precious memories that you never want to forget. Every day is a challenge to see if you can make it through without that person." Taryn explained with tears welling in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Colonel Truman just felt a wave a sadness fall over him. He knew everything Taryn was saying was right—he had felt the same way himself when Marcus died. But what also hit him in the same instant was that Scott must have been feeling this way too, except he didn't have a father to confide in, and that made him feel awful—like he had failed him.

"But then you do make it through the day. And everyday becomes easier than the one before it and you move on." She continued, turning to Ziggy with sad eyes. "I don't have those memories with my parents, Ziggy. I can't remember any of them. But knowing that they're alive out there gives me…hope. And I'll do whatever it takes to save them as well as my brother." She told him.

This felt like a dagger in Truman's heart. Right in front of him was a girl who ached to see her parents and brother again, she had none of them, and in a way she was no different than his own son. The only family Scott had in the world besides the rangers was himself. But he never treated Scott like a son; he treated him like a solider and nothing more. He didn't help him mourn the loss of his brother, and then preyed on the fact that it was taking him so long to get over. He never remembered feeling as bad as he did right now. He wanted to make things right with Scott, because right now, he didn't have any family—just like Taryn. A moment later, the Colonel snuck away.

"We will find them, Taryn." Ziggy assured her, stroking away a tear on her cheek, then moved into an embrace. "No matter what it takes, you'll see them again. I promise."

Taryn just let Ziggy hold her. She may not of had any of her family around at the moment, but she had Ziggy, and that suddenly made things not look so bad.


	9. Scott

Downstairs in the lab of the Garage, Flynn and Summer were busy trying anything and everything to locate Dillon. The two rangers typed rapidly on the computers trying to find out wherever he may be. The two may have had the same goal to find their fellow ranger, but their reasons were entirely different. Flynn hoped to find him so that he wouldn't be hated for messing with his virus in the first place, and Summer wanted to find him so that she could hold the man that she loved in her arms again.

"Any luck, Flynn?" Summer asked the Blue Ranger with worry in her voice.

"No…nothing so far." Flynn answered with an apologetic sigh. "What we know is that he is somewhere outside the dome, so we have to build off of that."

"I just hope we find him soon, I mean after all, we _are_ racing against the clock here." She told him sadly. She desperately hoped to find Dillon before the virus did. She had no idea how long this 'foreign substance' would hold off the virus, she just hoped it would hold off long enough for her to find him.

"Dillon's smart." Flynn assured her. "I'm sure he can figure out something to buy himself some time until we find him."

"I know." Summer said with a soft sigh. "You're right. But it's not Dillon's ability to escape that's bothering me…it's the fact that this virus keeps trying to take over him, and there's no cure out there for us to save him. I mean…even if we do find him and bring him back here, there's no stopping him from turning into a machine completely." She went on, closing her eyes and running her fingers through her hair.

"I…wouldn't give that virus much thought. At least for now." Flynn said, continuing to scan the computer before him.

Summer stopped what she was doing and immediately turned to her partner in blue with suspicious eyes. "What does _that_ mean?" she asked him.

Flynn felt a knot in his stomach as he felt Summer's eyes burning into the side of his head. "Nothing, nothing." He said quickly, looking at her nervously. "Forget I said anything."

Summer just watched her friend shift nervously for a moment before she continued. She could tell something was up with him, she just didn't know what. All she knew was that if Flynn was hiding something about Dillon, she would find out what. "Are you hiding something from me, Flynn?" she asked, moving closer to him. "Because if you are, _please_ tell me."

"Hiding something from you? Definitely not." Flynn heard himself lie. He felt awful for lying to Summer, she was like a sister to him, but he made a promise to someone who was like a brother to him.

"Flynn…_please._" Summer pleaded.

The Blue Ranger turned to Summer and looked in her eyes. He could see the hurt so clear in her face. She desperately wanted to know what he did, and if he could do anything to make that face fade away, he was going to—because he loved her.

"Summer, I…can't." he told her sadly. He never felt more between a rock and a hard place.

"Is it about the virus, and this new substance Doctor K found?" She asked. Summer could read Flynn like a book most of the time, and she could tell when he wasn't being completely truthful.

Flynn just gazed at the screen in front of him, unable to face his friend and her sad eyes, because he knew if he did, he'd break.

"Flynn, what's going on?" She asked, her voice growing louder and more pleading.

Her words finally got through to him. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn't take it anymore, he had to look in her eyes—and he broke. "You know that 'foreign substance' you mentioned?" he asked her. She nodded in response. "It wasn't foreign. It was…from me." He said shamefully.

"You?" Summer asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"He asked me—begged me to loan him some of my time manipulation powers so that any time the virus began to take over him, it'd freeze it and hold it in time." He explained.

Summer exhaled sharply, trying not to panic. "Are you crazy?!" she shouted as she began to pace the floor. "Do you know what kind of risk that puts you and him in?!"

"Summer, I—"

"Flynn," she said, walking up to him, trying to calm her voice, "do you remember when your powers short circuited on the battlefield and you froze solid?" she asked him harshly. "Time manipulation is a _very _dangerous thing to toy with!"

"He begged me, Summer." Flynn said softly, looking at her with defeat. "He told me this was the only way to keep the people he loves safe from harm, safe from…a side of him that he can't control." He then placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, "I know this may not be the smartest solution we've ever come up with, but it's been working so far. He's been able to fight off the virus twice now. This way is a lot easier than us trying to restrain him." he told her.

"I guess you're right." Summer said with another sigh. "I guess I'm worrying too much. It's just that…what if he gets lost in time like you did? I couldn't stand it when that happened to you." She said, patting his arm.

"If that happens we'll find a way to save him, no matter what." Flynn assured her.

"Okay." Summer said. "I'm sorry."

Flynn just wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. Since Summer was like his little sister, he thought a hug may help her feel better, at least for now. "No worries, lass." He told her. "The two of you are my friends, and I'll do whatever it takes to get you two together again."

"Thanks, Flynn." Summer replied, heading back to the computers. "Now let's find our ranger." She said with a smile of confidence. This made Flynn smile as well, because he was able to give her the piece of mind that she needed, and he was going to do anything to make sure it stayed there.

That night, while everyone was still hard at work in the lab, Scott sat alone in Doctor K's office just staring at her computer. He was doing as his father ordered and going over the battle tapes trying to see if it would give him a lead on where Shifter took Dillon. He knew it was risky being in her office without her consent, but he had so much on his mind at the moment that he was willing to take the risk.

He clicked on and watched file after file trying to find the data of the fight earlier that day, but so far, he wasn't having any luck. His heart stopped when he saw a file with the name, "Eagle One—Last Transmission". He had no clue as to why Doctor K would have a file like this, he chalked it up to that his dad must have given it to her for personal reasons, whatever they were.

Scott hovered the cursor of the file for a bit before he finally mustered up enough strength to click on it. When he did, he heard exactly what he did from his nightmare:

"I'm hit! I'm hit! This is Eagle One's last transmission…"

The next thing he saw was his brother's plane falling out of sight and his feed going dead. He felt his eyes well with tears. He didn't know why he watched this file, but something inside him needed to—he hoped that, somehow, it would give him the closer he needed. But so far, it only made him feel worse.

He jumped when he saw the lights flick on and a voice behind him. "And what brings you down here at this hour, Ranger Series Red?" Doctor K asked curiously.

Scott quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, cleared his throat and turned to face her. "Sorry, Doctor K. I was just reviewing some of your battle records to see if it gave me any leads on Dillon." He lied, trying to block the screen with his body.

"Battle records?" she asked unconvincingly, slowly walking towards him. "Since when are aircraft carriers—other than zords—used in ranger battles?"

When Scott turned to see what he had left on the screen, he saw it was stopped on Marcus' plane falling. He was busted. All he could do was close his eyes hard and sigh.

"I'm sorry, Doctor K." he told her. "I really was looking for our battle records when I stumbled upon a file about my brother. I'll get back to work." He said sadly, sitting back down at the computer.

Doctor K continued to enter the room slowly. "You still…think about your brother's passing?" It was hard for her to believe that he was still struggling losing someone for as long as he had. Where she grew up, she was trained never to have or make friends or family, so she never had to deal with the pain of losing them.

"Everyday." Scott answered. "I can't help it. I try so hard not to but…it's impossible. And now my father's telling me that my mourning is getting in the way of my being a ranger." He explained.

"Being a ranger should be your top priority." She told him, immediately regretting her words.

"Right." Scott answered sadly, scrolling through more files on the computer.

"Um…it'll all…be okay, Ranger Series Red." She said nervously. She never learned how to be consoling, but she figured now was a good time to start.

"Thanks, Doc." Scott said softly, hurt still in his voice. It was clear that he was still hurting from everything that had been going on, and she was still determined to help him. After all, he was the current team leader.

A few moments passed, and when Scott thought that Doctor K was out of the room. He placed his hands on his face to try and compose himself. The doctor could tell from his shaky breaths that he was crying.

"Are you…sure you're alright, Ranger Red?" She asked him once more.

"Oh?" Scott said with surprise, wiping the tears from his eyes, focusing back on his work. "Yeah, fine. I'll get back to work."

"Would it help you if you were to…talk about it?" she asked, sitting next to him.

"I wouldn't know how." He told her. "My father never wanted us to express our feelings about things. He said it would soften us."

"I know I may not be the greatest when it comes to dealing with emotions, but I can try and help, especially if it would benefit the team." Doctor K told him, feeling more nervous by the second. She feared she would make things worse.

"It's just," Scott began, "I was so happy for Dillon and Taryn when they finally found one another. They were reunited with someone they love. But as happy as I was for them, I couldn't help but feel…" Scott trailed off.

"Envious?" she finished for him.

Scott nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I know it's a terrible thing to say, but I'm jealous of them. I'm jealous of the fact that they were reunited and my brother and I aren't." he confided in her. "And my father just wants me to move on—to accept it because I'm team leader. But it's just so…hard."

Doctor K slowly and nervously placed her hand on Scott's shoulder. "Team Leader is a difficult position, but I must say that you're doing a radiant job." She said kindly. "Sounds to me like you just need to get closure."

"I don't know how to get it." Scott admitted to her.

"But I can't help but notice that that's not all that's bothering you. What else is it?" she asked.

"I keep playing that last day over and over in my head. Thinking there was something I could do—anything. But I always come to the same conclusion: it's my fault that he's dead. I didn't do anything to save him. I…I let my brother die." He said, his voice cracking softly.

"You didn't." The Doctor assured him. "You fought to the best of your abilities."

"Which wasn't enough!" Scott screamed. "He's still dead and it's my fault!" he cried.

"How do you figure _that_?" Doctor K asked him, she couldn't see from anything that he told her how this was his fault. But he was distraught about it, and she was helping more than she thought she would.

"Because he died taking a shot for me!" he admitted with a shout. "I should be the one that's gone, and my brother should be the Red Ranger!" Scott finally said the words that he feared all along. He never told anyone, not even his father what he had just told her. In a way, telling someone made him feel better and worse at the same time. He pounded the wall next to him and began to sob. Doctor K could tell that he was trying to fight it, but she knew it would be better if he did. He always wanted to be viewed as strong and a rock, he just placed his hand over his face and was silent.

Doctor K just looked at him for a moment. She had never seen him like this before; she had never seen anyone like this before. In a way, she was like him, never showing or expressing their feelings, just keeping them inside hoping they'd fade away. At that moment, Doctor K did something that she never had before, she wrapped her arms around the Red Ranger, and hugged him warmly.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay…Scott." She consoled him, finally letting her guard down and calling him by his first name. And that night, Scott found console in the person he least expected it from—Doctor K.


	10. An Evil Facade

Dillon had no choice. He had to pick a fight with the rangers. Everything in him was against it, but he had to do it to keep the people in his life from further harm. He and General Shifter brought their prisoner to a wide-open field so that they had plenty of room to battle the rangers. But Dillon also gathered that it would be easier for him to miss them in a space so vast, so that gave him some relief. He was already in his ranger form with his helmet retracted, hoping that if his friends saw his face, they would know it was the real him.

Shifter pushed Dillon forward. "Call your friends. I want this capture to be a swift one." He ordered.

Dillon just turned and glared at the attack-bot. He wanted nothing more than to destroy him right then and there, but he just couldn't risk the lives of his parents. "I'll call them when I'm good and ready." He answered coldly.

"Need I remind you, Ranger Black, that every second you postpone this, the closer your parents and this prisoner here are to meeting their end." Shifter answered, jerking the prisoner in front of him.

Dillon was silent for a moment. He felt like he was in a nightmare, he had to either get his friends captured or let his parents be destroyed. His mind was running ragged. "I want a minute alone with the prisoner." He said firmly.

"Never!" Shifter shouted back. "Master Venjix would never allow it!"

"Would you rather me destroy _you_ instead?" Dillon threatened him, though deep down he was bluffing.

Shifter just grumbled and handed over the prisoner who was still shrouded in a black cloak. "One minute—that's it. And don't even think of trying anything." He warned him, then stepped back a few feet.

Dillon pulled the prisoner in front of him so Shifter couldn't see. "What are you going to do with me?" the prisoner asked. But the tone in his voice wasn't fear like the others, it sounded sad and empty.

"I'm going to give you back to your family." Dillon told him.

"What?!" the prisoner exclaimed. "Y-you can't! Your parents—"

"I'll figure something out." Dillon assured him in a low voice. "You've been through enough, so has your family." He knew all about what it was like to be separated from his family, having no idea where they are or if they were still alive. Dillon knew what it was like to be a prisoner of Venjix, and he knew that if he could save someone from all of that, he would.

"What should I do?" the cloaked man asked, willing to do anything to help him.

"Don't let the rangers see your face, at least not until Shifter and I are gone." Dillon told him, peeking over his shoulder to make sure Shifter wasn't eavesdropping.

"Okay, you got it." The prisoner agreed.

"Take this too." Dillon said lowly, secretly handing the prisoner a Nitro Blaster. "Hide it in your cloak somewhere. I'll let you know when to use it."

The cloaked man took the blaster and a stuck it deep inside of his cloak. "Why are you doing all of this for me?" he asked. He didn't know Dillon until a few hours ago and couldn't understand why he would risk everything to help a stranger.

"Because I know what it's like to be apart from the ones you love." Dillon answered sady.

"Minute's up!" Shifter announced, storming over to them.

"You ready?" Dillon asked his new friend quietly. He answered with a nod of his head.

"Call your friends!" Shifter yelled, grabbing Dillon's arm that held his morpher and put it up to his face. "And make it sound believable."

Dillon jerked away from the bot and rolled his eyes. He brought his morpher to his face and called the Red Ranger. "Hey, fearless leader." He said in a cold and evil voice he hated.

"Dillon?" Scott answered with surprise. "Is that you?"

"Dillon is gone. I work for Venjix now." He lied, closing his eyes hard as he spoke the horrible words. "I want a battle—now. If you're not here in five minutes, this prisoner I have with me will be destroyed."

"We'll be there." Scott answered coldly.

"See you then." Dillon responded, and then killed the feed. He hated everything he just said, he hoped that once the rangers got there, his plan would go as he hoped. "There. You happy?" he asked Shifter in a snide tone.

"Ecstatic." Shifter answered. "Now, all we have to do is wait." He said with an evil snicker.

All Dillon could do was look down at the prisoner, hoping and praying that his plan would work. Because if he were to get caught before every piece fell into place, he'd lose everything.

When Scott got Dillon's message, it was around midnight. When he went to the ranger's rooms to see if they were asleep, he wasn't surprised when he saw none of them there. He knew that they were all downstairs still looking for Dillon, little did they know, he found him. Scott hurried down the stairs to tell the others about the call he had just received.

"Guys!" he called out to them. "I just got a little ring from Dillon. He's in the plains and has a prisoner. He said if we didn't give him the battle he wanted, he would destroy him."

"What?" Summer exclaimed. "I thought the virus was under control!"

"That was the strange thing about it, he didn't sound like he does when the virus takes over him…he sounded like plain old Dillon." Scott told them, trying to figure out what was really going on.

"I see what's going on." Doctor K stated, going to her computer and beginning to type rapidly. She pulled up an x-ray of Dillon and his robotic. Just like the one before, it showed all of Flynn's powers flowing throughout him. "I knew it." She said suddenly.

"What is it, Doctor K?" Summer asked with concern, looking at the screen.

"My readings show that the virus hasn't in fact taken hold again." The doctor told them with a faint smile.

"But wait, if the virus isn't active, then why is he doing all of this?" Ziggy asked, folding his arms.

"Someone must have some sort of leverage on him. That's the only explanation." Flynn stated, looking to his team to see if there was any objection.

"Yeah, but what? What could be used as leverage against Dillon?" Ziggy asked in response.

Taryn's eyes grew wide, she knew the answer, and the mere thought of what it was nearly made her panic. "Our parents." She said in a frightened tone.

"Doctor K, could that be true?" Summer asked.

"What she says _does_ make sense." Dr. K announced. "If Venjix ordered him to lure you rangers out in the battle to capture you, threatening to destroy his parents if he did otherwise, that would explain the strange call Scott received."

"Then what should we do? We can't just fight him when he's trying to save someone." Summer said, looking to her friends for any answer.

"He and Venjix have a hostage with him right now—that has to be our first priority. Dillon will figure something out until we get the prisoner to safety." Scott told her. This made Summer and Flynn shoot each other a worried glance. They knew time wasn't exactly on Dillon's side.

"Then let's head on out." Ziggy said as he and his teammates made their ways to their vehicles. Before he went to ride with Flynn, he stopped by Taryn. "Maybe you should stay here and rest your arm. You can help Doctor K if you feel restless." He told her, stroking her broken arm gently.

"Right. I'll do all I can from here." She told him with a small frown. She wanted to go with them desperately to save her brother, but if she were to get captured as well, that would only make things worse. Ziggy kissed her head and began to head to the jeep. "Ziggy!" she called out to him.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to her.

"Please…don't hurt him. Evil or not, he's still my brother." She told him.

"And _my _friend." He reminded her. "Don't worry, I'll bring him and your parents back safe and sound." He assured her, hoping deep down that he'd be able to do so. He hopped in Flynn's car, and it pulled out of the lot along with the others. As Taryn watched them go, she had a feeling that what Ziggy said would happen—she just knew it.


	11. A Harsh Reunion

When Scott and the others made it to the plains, it was so dark they could barely see. What they could see was three shadowy figures they knew to be Shifter, Dillon and the prisoner. As they got a better view of them, they saw that Dillon had a tight grip on the captive's arm.

"Nice of you to join us, rangers." Dillon said in a feigned evil voice and a forced smirk. He retracted his helmet to show his friends that he wasn't a prisoner of the virus, at least not yet.

Scott walked closer to his friend in black. He couldn't tell who the captive was that he had a hold on, but it was his top priority to save him. "Just give us the prisoner and we'll be on our way." He said.

"You'll have to fight us first!" Shifter chimed in, jumping forward. "Right, Black Ranger?" he asked, looking towards Dillon.

Dillon just looked at the bot with resentment. What answer he had to say and wanted to say were two completely different things. He just looked to his ranger pals sadly and simply said, "Yes."

"We're really getting tired of fighting you, mate!" Flynn joined in, stepping beside Scott, trying to hide the fact that he and his friends knew the truth.

"Yeah! You spend more time fighting us than helping us!" Ziggy yelled. Dillon had no clue that Ziggy and the others were really trying to help him, so he turned to the one person he knew he could get an answer from. He looked to the Yellow Ranger to see if she would join in on bashing him, she didn't. She just looked at him with sad eyes, knowing this wasn't what he wanted.

"I'm so sorry." He mouthed to her so Shifter couldn't see. "I love you." Summer nodded in response. And that, in it's discreet way, told him she loved him to. She hated seeing the hurt in his eyes, and couldn't bear to lead him to believe she hated him.

"Let's get this battle started!!" Shifter called out, jumping in front of the rangers.

Scott just shook his head. "If it's a battle they want, it's a battle they'll get." He said, he and his teammates pulling out their morphers and activating them.

"RPM—Get in gear!" the four called out, morphing into their ranger forms.

Dillon just brought his helmet back over his face. "Surrender your weapons, and we'll hand over the prisoner." He offered them. The rangers looked at one another with worry and confusion, they had no idea what to do, so they went to their team leader.

"What'll it be?" Shifter asked, trying to hurry them along.

"You heard the man." Scott said. "Let's hand over our weapons." He said, pulling out his Street Saber.

"What?!" Ziggy yelled in disbelief. "It's our weapons—our _weapons_!"

"We don't have a choice Ziggy…we have too." Scott said, turning to the Green Ranger. Ziggy hoped that it wasn't his imagination that Scott's tone indicated that he had a plan. And with that, the rangers through their weapons forward, Street Saber, Turbo Cannon, Zip Charger, Turbo Axe, Nitro Swords and Blasters in all.

"A deal's a deal." Dillon said coldly, throwing the prisoner forward and over to the rangers.

Keeping his end of the deal, the prisoner kept his face hidden. Scott grabbed the captive as soon as he could. "Are you okay?" he asked.

The prisoner just nodded quickly, not wanting to reveal his voice. He simply opened his cloak to reveal the Nitro Blaster that Dillon had planted there. Scott wanted to stay as discreet as possible when he took it and the darkness of the field helped. Then when he saw Shifter going for their weapons, he began rapidly firing at him, throwing the attack-bot backwards. And when the rangers saw their chance, ran forward and collected their weapons once again.

"YOU?!" Shifter screamed, pointing at the Black Ranger. "You betrayed us! I hope you liked seeing your parents, because it was the _last_ time!" then began to teleport away.

"No!!" Dillon screamed back. "Get back here!" he yelled, running after him. He grabbed onto Shifter and teleported away with him. The two were gone in a flash.

"No!" Summer cried, trying to run after them, but she couldn't, they were long gone. She hated that she had Dillon right in front of her, and now he was gone again. She couldn't believe it. She retracted her helmet and called his name out once more.

"Summer, get back here!" Flynn called out to her, pulling her backwards, away from any source of danger. "If he wants to save his parents, we have to let him!" he told her.

"But he doesn't have enough time!" Summer cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I know." Flynn admitted to her softly. "I know, but this is what he wants to do. We have to be thankful that he was able to save at least one person."

"Yeah, and speaking of which…who _is_ the prisoner?" Ziggy asked, looking at the person in the cloak.

"Let's find out." Scott said, removing the hood from the person's head. He fell to his knees when he saw who it was. He thought the darkness was playing a trick on him at first, but upon further observation, he knew, without a doubt, who it was. "Marcus?" he asked in disbelief with a large smile.

Marcus nodded with a smile of his own. "Yeah, little brother. I'm back." He said happily. Then the two brothers hugged one another harder than they ever had. A lot of questions had to be answered, but all that mattered in this moment was that Scott's brother was alive—alive and back home.

Scott immediately rushed his brother back to the Garage to see if his brother had any serious injuries from working so long for Venjix. His bright red car screeched to a halt when he got there and he went around to help Marcus out of the back seat.

"Come on, bro," he said, helping him out of the car, "let's get you checked out." Once Marcus was out of the car, he began to bring him to Doctor K, because he knew that if Marcus did in fact have anything serious, she'd know what.

"Scott, I'm telling you, I'm fine." Marcus assured him. "All that's wrong with me is a twisted ankle and a twinge of dehydration."

"Then let us get you some crutches and glass of water." Ziggy said, "Doctor K!" he called out. But the next person that entered the room wasn't the doctor. It was Taryn with a hopeful look on her face.

"Dillon!" Taryn yelled excitedly as she bolted into the room. The smile fell from her face when she saw no sigh of Dillon or her parents with the rangers.

"Um…no." Ziggy told her sadly. He felt terrible. He never meant to get her excited that they were back. He kicked himself over and over.

"Dillon…" Summer began, steeping forward, "Dillon went back to the Venjix barricades with Shifter. He trying to save your parents." She explained sadly, placing a hand on her head.

"Oh." Taryn said softly. This was the exact news she _didn't _want to hear right now.

After a moment of somber silence, Doctor K ran into the room as well. The haste in Ziggy's voice concerned her, and wanted to make sure everything was as it should be. "What? What is it?" she asked quickly. She got her answer when she looked over at Scott and saw his brother sitting next to him. She had never meet Marcus in person, but based on the battle records she kept, she'd know his face anywhere. "Is that…?"

"Yeah!" Scott answered happily, patting his brother's shoulder. "My brother, he's alive!"

"That's…that's wonderful!" she said in amazement. She knew how distraught Scott was about losing his brother in battle, he even blamed himself for everything, but now that he was alive and well, she thought maybe Scott could finally be happy again. "But that means…" she began.

"I survived my bird's crashing." Marcus answered for her. "Exactly." He continued with a smile.

"We can talk about all of that later, right now you need to let Doctor K have a look at you." Summer said in a firm but kind voice. She hated how Scott was when he thought Marcus was dead, and she wanted him to be in the best shape he could.

"Ooh, you better watch out there little bro, you may have another team leader on your hands." Marcus joked.

"Summer hates seeing people in distress." Scott answered, smiling at the Yellow Ranger. "Now, let's get you back to the infirmary. Doctor K will have you as good as new in no time." He said, patting his brother on the back once more.

"Guess it couldn't hurt to be taken care of by someone other than Venjix for a change." Marcus joked. Then as he, Scott and Doctor K made their way to the infirmary, the doctor stopped for a moment.

"So, Marcus, who's responsible for brining you back to your brother? I know you're probably eternally grateful to them." She said, helping Scott escort Marcus back to the infirmary.

"I'm not really sure. I've never seen him before. All I know was he was a ranger dressed in black and that's it." Marcus explained.

Doctor K couldn't help but stop when she heard the answer she did. She thought the virus would have over taken Dillon for sure by now, but now she knew she was wrong. Dillon really _was_ faking being evil in the last battle and risked everything he had to save Scott's brother.

"It's true…" Scott told her. "Dillon saved him. He knew that Shifter was going to take all of our weapons, so he planted his only blaster on Marcus so that we could ambush him." the look on the Red Ranger's face fell a bit somber, he really cared about Dillon, as a matter of fact he was his brother when he thought he didn't have one, and he hoped that he was alright given all that he had done for him.

After a few moments of still being silent, Doctor K finally found the words she needed. "Wow, how…heroic." She said with shock in her voice. This made her feel even worse for her and Dillon's argument earlier. She just hoped she get the chance to tell him what he really meant to her and the team before it was too late.


	12. Enough

As happy as the other rangers were for Scott and Marcus, they couldn't help but feel bad for Dillon and everyone that cared about him. Ziggy made his way over to Taryn to see if she needed comforting on any level, she had after all lost her brother and her parents in the span of one day. The Green Ranger knew she didn't want to talk, so he just held her hoping to help in the only way he could.

Flynn made his way over to Summer to see if she needed any comforting of her own. She had taken Dillon's going back to the Venjix Barricades pretty hard and he hoped to make her feel better in any way he could until this mess was settled.

"Are you okay, Summer?" he asked her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Summer seemed to snap out of a daze when she felt Flynn's hand. She turned to him with a defeated look on her face. "Oh yeah." She lied, "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired."

"Then maybe you should get some rest, you _have_ been up for almost two days straight." He reminded her. Summer didn't even realize that she hadn't been sleeping. So much had been going on, sleep didn't seem like the smartest thing to do.

"I can't." she told him with a sigh. "Every time I lay my head down, I always end up tossing and turning for hours on end. My body wants to sleep but my mind won't let me." She said, growing teary.

"What can I do to help you?" Flynn asked the Yellow Ranger softly. He hated seeing her like this she was like a zombie. He could see in her face how tired she was, how her body ached for sleep, but she had way too much on her mind to even try. And after she woke up she'd just be reminded that the man that she loves still wasn't here, and she'd have to start getting over it all over again.

Summer wiped a tear from her cheek as she stared forward at nothingness. "I am _so_ happy that Marcus and Scott are reunited, it's like a miracle, but as much as I want to be celebrating...I can't." she admitted to him.

"Aye, but they wouldn't _be_ reunited if it weren't for Dillon." Flynn told her.

"I know, but it always seems like he's risking himself to save other people. Look what happened with Taryn a few months ago, I mean he was dead and still would be if it weren't for you guys." Summer said, trying as hard as she could not to picture that terrible time.

"He's a ranger—it's his duty. He puts others before himself to protect them." Flynn told her, aware that he and Summer felt the same way when it came to a person in need.

"I just want to be able to save _him_ for once." Summer told her Blue Ranger friend.

Flynn took Summer by the shoulders gently. "You already _are_ saving him, by loving him and supporting what he does, there's not much more you can do than that. He knows how much he means to you, and how much you mean to him, he's not going to let go of that without the fight of his life." He told her.

"That's what I', afraid of." Summer answered softly.

At the Venjix Barricades, Dillon and General Shifter teleported back and landed on the floor of the lair with a thud. Dillon had a tight grip on Shifter's arm, which the general promptly threw him off of. The Black Ranger knew the repercussions of betraying his word wouldn't be good, but he couldn't let his parents take the blame for his actions. When Dillon made it back to his feet, he saw Venjix in his bot form with his back to him.

"You've got some nerve, Ranger Series Black." Venjix said in a chilling voice. "I'm surprised you even wanted to show your face around here again." He continued, turning slowly, making his way over to the ranger in black.

Dillon just leered at the monster in front of him. It was taking everything in him not to throw his helmet back on and battle him to the finish, but he knew his efforts would be useless, for no ranger could morph in the Venjix Barricades. "I'm not going to help you destroy my best friends Venjix. I can't!" he yelled.

"In your efforts to save your friends you seemed to forget one thread of information: _I_ still have your parents." Venjix said evilly. The mere tone in his voice was nothing more than gloating; he figured he had the Black Ranger right where he wanted him. With a snap of his fingers, Venjix called in two Grinders holding a struggling Edward and Eva. Dillon's eyes went immediately to them, and he knew these two weren't clones; they were his real live parents.

"Mom! Dad!" Dillon yelled, trying to run to them, but felt himself stop when two Grinders took a hold of his arms.

"You don't' listen to orders, Black Ranger." Venjix said in a slowly booming voice. "And for that, I'm going to teach you a lesson." He went on, slowly making his way over to Edward and Eva. His mom's fearful cries burned in Dillon's ears. This was the worst pain he ever felt, his parents were in danger. When he saw Venjix preparing a ball of energy to fire at them, he couldn't take in anymore—he wouldn't. He leapt into the air, kicking the one on his left in the face and punching the right one in the gut, completely freeing himself. He bolted over to his parents, jumping in front of them.

"Invincibility Shield!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, putting a force field between him and his parents and Venjix. When the blast hit the shield, Dillon fought to resist it, the mere power behind the blast was enough to knock him off of his feet. Suddenly, without warning, Dillon's shield blinked out again, just as it did on the battlefield before. He was hit by the blast, which made him crash into his parents who then crashed into a wall.

"Pitiful." Venjix snickered evilly. "He hasn't even mastered his shield powers yet."

Dillon hurried to his feet and rushed to his parents. "Are you two okay?" he asked them quickly, ignoring his own injuries.

"Yeah, just a little banged up." Edward answered with a wince, helping his wife stand.

"Are you?" Eva asked her son. Dillon nodded in response. He couldn't care less about himself right now; all he wanted was to get his parents out of this hellhole.

"Look, I'm going to get us out of here." He told his parents in a confident voice. "Somehow.

"I doubt that, ranger." Venjix said from behind them. "The only way you're getting out of here, is if you're destroyed!!" he shouted, firing rapid blasts at Dillon and his parents. Dillon put his back to Venjix and covered his parents, taking the blasts for them. Edward and Eva couldn't believe that the son they haven't seen in years was putting himself there for them.

After the blasts subsided, Dillon fell forward slightly but was caught by his father. "Are you okay?" Edward asked his son, knowing it was a dumb question due to the attacks he just endured.

"Yeah." Dillon said weakly with a wince.

"Why did you do that?" Eva yelled in worry.

"Because I love you guys, and I'm not going to lose you twice." Dillon answered softly, looking at his parents. It was clear that they meant the world to him, and he was going to do everything in his power to keep them safe. Edward and Eva were just silent at Dillon's answer; they hadn't realized being separated from them had hurt him so badly.

"Get up, ranger, I'm enjoying this game, ha ha!" Venjix said with an evil Snicker, preparing another orb of energy to fire at them. He was getting exactly what he wanted, seeing one of the rangers suffer.

"That's it." Dillon said in a low, pissed tone. He had had enough. Enough of Venjix, enough of the virus, enough of it all. He stood to his feet and turned towards Venjix.

When Venjix saw this, he halted his blasts. "What's this? You want to fight me, Black Ranger? Even in your weakened state?" Venjix asked curiously, he thought the ranger was dumb for even turning to face him, let alone try and battle him. He had this in the bag.

"I want to end this. I want to end all of this." The Black Ranger said firmly, glaring daggers at the evil super computer before him.

"It'll never end, ranger." Venjix said coldly. "In the end, everyone in Corinth—including all of your little ranger buddies, including that pretty Yellow Ranger you've fallen for, and even your pathetic family, will fall and I will rule over this planet!" he said with a cackle, so proud of his plan, so sure it was going to work. Dillon balled his fists in fury, he felt the anger welling harshly inside of him—he was about to break. "I wonder which one I'll destroy first? I'll save the yellow one for last so she could watch me destroy you—calling your name over and over." Venjix went on. It was obvious that he was taking pleasure in all of this and didn't plan on stopping.

Dillon shouted loud in fury, activating his morpher, clearly driven by his rage. "I'm going to make you wish you've never seen black!" he screamed. "RPM—Get in Gear!!" and with those words, he was morphed into the Black RPM Ranger.

"What?!" Venjix shouted. "How could you morph here?!" The super computer was stumped, he had never seen a ranger morph in his lair before, he didn't think it could be done. But that was one thing about Dillon, given that he was one of Venjix's creation, he was able to get around things the other rangers could not.

The Black Ranger turned to his parents. "Run—I can handle this." He assured them.

"Run? But—" Eva began until her son interrupted.

"Just run! Run until you hit Corinth City, my friends there will help you…as well as Taryn." Dillon told them, sad that he couldn't join them to see the women he loved, at least not yet.

"Right!" Edward responded. "Let's go, Eva!" he said, helping his wife up. He knew that his son had to do this, he was a lot like him in many ways, and he wasn't going to stop him from what he thought was best. He began to escort his wife out of the barricades, when a sea of Grinders tried to cut them off. When Dillon caught wind of this, he fired his Rocket Blaster mercilessly at them, annihilating them on impact. This cleared the path for Edward and Eva, but when Shifter began to go after them, Dillon ran in front of the general.

"Going somewhere?" he asked curiously, waiting for Shifter to say the wrong thing so he could wail on him.

"Uh…um…" Shifter stammered nervously. Seconds later, Dillon leapt into the air and fired his Rocket Blaster once more, a sea of beams falling all over Shifter. He crashed hard on the ground, down for the count.

"Who's next?" Dillon asked with a small smirk, his helmet glistening in the lights. He was finally feeling a bit of relief that he was actually taking control over his life again.

Venjix could tell by looking at the ranger that he would have a tough time battling him. It was as if the Venjix Virus was using it's power to help the Black Ranger, and the power of that virus was strong beyond measure, so he just turned his back from the ranger. "This isn't over, ranger—know that." He said in a low voice.

"It won't be over until you're destroyed." Dillon told him, turning as well. "And that day is coming." Dillon knew that he had the power to easily handle Venjix's generals and any Grinders he may send his way, but Venjix himself, was something he wasn't so sure of, and he didn't want to take any risks. His parents were running freely outside the dome, and whereas Edward was an ex Navy SEAL, he _had_ been cooped up in a prison for the past few months and had significant energy loss. So Dillon took it upon himself to make sure they got to Corinth safely. So he just left the base without another word. He had no idea why Venjix just let him leave, but he wasn't about to question it.

After Dillon was gone, General Shifter lifted himself from the floor and limped his way over to Venjix. "Master Venjix! Why did you let him get away? You could have had him!" Shifter cried at his master.

Venjix just turned mischievously to his sidekick, seeming somewhat pleased. "I used my strongest attack to try and annihilate his parents and it takes an hour to recharge. I didn't want to rush something I've already won." He said in a sneer.

"What do you mean?! Subject D44 and his parents got away!!" Shifter shouted.

"Hardly." Venjix answered. "I _knew_ Ranger Black would jump in front of that blast to protect his parents. That's why I attacked them with a beam that would speed his virus by seventy-five percent." He explained with an evil snicker.

"But what about this new power he has to fight it off?" Shifter asked.

"Never fear, General Shifter. Either one of two things will happen: Either Ranger Black will submit to the virus completely…" he said slowly, turning towards his general slyly, "…or he'll be frozen in time…indefinitely." He said with malice in his voice. He had every one of Dillon's moves planned from the beginning. Dillon never had control of his life again; Venjix was controlling him like a puppet.

"That's sneaky!" Shifter cheered. "I never should have doubted you, Master Venjix! You are truly a genius!" he said, clapping his metal hands together happily. For once, it seemed like one of their plans was going to finally work.

"Don't consider that ranger a problem anymore." Venjix said coldly, heading down to the dungeons to check on his prisoners, "We may not have his parents anymore, but pretty soon, they won't have him."


	13. Too Good to be True

A couple of hours later in the Garage, Marcus was feeling a lot better. His leg was wrapped neatly in gauze and Doctor K had set him up with an IV drip to rid him of his dehydration. Although he felt back to 100% again, he was told he still needed to rest for a while longer, as per his brother's orders. Scott was sitting in a chair by his side, there to get him anything he needed.

"How are you feeling?" Scott asked his brother from the chair.

"A lot better. Thanks for asking." Marcus answered with a somewhat sad face.

"What's the matter?" Scott asked him. "Do you need something?" Although he knew that Marcus had been through a lot the past couple of months, he couldn't imagine what was wrong with him. His injuries were no that severe and he was reunited with his family.

"No, no, it's nothing like that?" Marcus answered to calm him. "It's just…I wasn't the only one trapped inside of Venjix's prison. There were a lot of other people there too—including children. I just hate that they couldn't get out too. I feel like it should have been them, not me." He admitted, just staring blankly at his blanket.

"Oh." Scott said softly, hanging his head as well. "Listen, I know that those prisoners over there have it rough, but you deserved to be rescued just as much as they did and I promise you we'll find a way to save them. No matter what it takes." Scott told him. For once, he actually felt like the older brother, making his brother feel better when he's down.

"But how? Do you have some sort of plan?" Marcus asked, looking to him.

Scott was a bit thrown by his brother's question, he was never one to ask what the plan was, he was usually the one who made them. But he just chalked it up to his brother being both physically and emotionally drained. "Maybe you should just focus on resting for now. You can focus on all of that later." He said, taking a moment to look at his brother. "I'm just so happy you're back." He smiled.

"And I'm not going anywhere. It takes more than a little crash to get rid of me." Marcus said. Seconds later, Colonel Truman rushed into the room with a big smile on his face.

"Son?" He said, entering the room , looking happier than he had in a while.

"In the flesh." Marcus answered, gesturing to himself. "Eagle One flies again." He said, smiling at his father. Colonel Truman went over to Marcus' bed and hugged him tightly. He may not have liked to show that his alleged passing cut him deeply, but he wasn't going to hide how happy he was that he was back.

"How are you feeling? Any pain or anything?" Truman asked, looking at his son's medical chart, pleased with what the results looked like.

"Terrific. Good as new." Marcus told him with another grin. He felt very relived to be in the presence of his family again.

"How did you find him?" The Colonel asked the Red Ranger. He never thought in a million years that something like this would happen, but he was so happy that it did.

"Dillon brought him back when he infiltrated Venjix's base. He sabotaged one of Venjix's plans to capture us and save Marcus." Scott explained to him. The mentioning of Dillon made him somewhat sad. Here he was with his brother and his dad, and Dillon did have either, as well as Taryn.

"You mean Venjix brought one of his prisoners to a battle?" Truman asked in confusion. Brining civilians that he worked hard to capture to battle didn't seem to add up.

Scott nodded his head. "Yep. Venjix planned to use Marcus here as bait so that he could get our weapons and capture us."

"And that Black Ranger gave me a blaster to give to Scott so that when Shifter went for the weapons, Scott could ambush him." Marcus chimed in. "It worked like a charm."

"Yeah…together again." Truman said, hugging both of his boys, something seeming to weigh on his mind. Something didn't sit right with him in all of this. He hoped he was just letting his imagination get the best of him. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He had always been taught that if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was.

In the Garage, the rangers were still trying to locate Dillon on their radars, but due to the hold Venjix had on their morphers, they were still coming up dry. Summer watched the screen as closely as she could and jumped when she saw a black circle pop up on the screen.

"Guys!" she called out to them, pointing to the screen.

"Did you find something, Summer?" Taryn asked excitedly, her and the other rangers running to the screen. But by the time they made it over there, the circle had faded away. "Where is it?" Taryn asked, looking at the screen in utter confusion.

When Summer saw that what she had located seconds ago was gone, she pounded the desk hard in front of her. "It was right here!" she yelled sadly. "It was our first sign in hours and it's gone!"

Ziggy came up behind Summer and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe we need a fresh pair of eyes. Should I go and get Scott?" he asked, pointing behind him.

"No. I'm sorry." Summer apologized. After days without sleep and getting nowhere fast, she was bound to blow up at some point. "Scott needs to be with his brother right now, I'm not going to interrupt to so he can stare at a screen." She said.

"Yeah. They need their privacy. We can get him later." Taryn said sadly. She had gotten he hopes up when she thought that Summer found something, but she figured being positive was all she had to count on right now.

"Well, we can't give up, we have to keep looking. We'll find him eventually." Flynn told them, trying to be positive as well. He knew that if he were to break, Summer would to. And her being like his little sister, he had to do all he could to make sure she stayed calm.

A few seconds later, two motorcycles rode in to the Garage. One held a man and a woman, and the other held one man. When the vehicles made it to a stop, the couple dismounted the bike and removed their helmets. When Taryn saw who it was, her face lit up. She ran over to them as fast as he legs would take her.

"Mom! Dad!" she cried in happiness. "Is it really you?" she said hugging them.

"It sure is, sweetie. I'm sorry it took us so long to finally make it to you." Edward said, kissing the top of her head.

"We've missed you so much." Eva said, hugging her tighter still.

"I can't believe you're here." Taryn said, a tear falling from her cheek.

"Yeah, about that…" Flynn said, walking forward. "How did you pull that off?" he asked them.

The couple didn't answer; they just turned their heads to the mysterious person behind them. And Summer's face lit up when she saw who is was. Underneath the motorcycle helmet was none other than Dillon himself. When she saw his brown hair and sly smile, she became overcome with joy and bolted over to him and threw her arms around him.

"Hey, beautiful, I'm back." He said with a smile. Then the two kissed a small kiss and smiled at one another. Summer took a moment to simply enjoy the embrace of the one she loved.

"How did you get back?" Summer asked, looking up at him.

"When I said that I was never going to leave you again, I meant it." He answered, pushing her hair back and kissing her forehead.

"I knew you'd come back." She said in almost a whisper. And to that, Dillon replied with a wink. That only made Summer hold him tighter.

"I don't believe you've met my parents." He said with a beaming smile, gesturing to the couple who were still holding Taryn tightly in their arms.

"I can't believe I have my babies back." Eva said tearfully, kissing Taryn's head.

"Well, we were never really alone. Dillon brought me back to life by taking me away from Venjix and showing me that helping the rangers was my lot in life." Taryn said, looking to her brother. "And I'll never be able to repay him for that." She said.

"And it's all because of this." Dillon said, pulling his pocket watch from his jacket. "It lead me to all the answers to the questions I had." He said, looking at the watch.

"You still have that?" Edward asked, walking over to his son. "I gave that to Taryn when she was five. I can't believe it's lasted all this time." He said in awe.

"Taryn gave it to me when…" Dillon began, but he couldn't release the words. He didn't want to sour this moment of finally reuniting Taryn and his parents with a Venjix prison story, so he decided to leave it alone, at least for the time being. "…when we were reunited." He lied with a weak smile. He felt badly for lying to his parents, but given all that they've been through over the past months, he figured it was best.

"I just can't believe we're all back together again." Eva said, smiling at her children. In her eyes, they were still five years old, and she loved more than anything. "Two years is long enough." She said, another joyful tear falling from her cheek.

"You have no idea." Taryn said with a sigh of content.

"Sooooo…this is you and Dillon's parents?" Ziggy asked nervously. He never thought he'd be meeting his girlfriend's parents on the spur of the moment like this.

"They sure are." She answered him with a large smile. "This is my mom, Eva and my dad, Edward." She explained, gesturing to each parent as she spoke. "Mom, dad, this is Ziggy."

"Yeah, Ziggy…I'm her—her…" Ziggy began, nervously shaking Edward's hand.

"Boyfriend." Taryn answered for him with a giggle.

"Good to meet you, Ziggy." Edward said kindly.

"It's nice to meet you." Eva said with a big smile, also shaking Ziggy's hand. Ziggy felt a wave of relief flow over him once the meet and greet was over. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, after all, this was the first time he met a girlfriend's parents.

"And I'm Flynn." The Blue Ranger jumped in, extending a hand to the parents, which he shook politely.

"Thank you—all of you." Eva said sweetly to the entire team.

"You still have a few people to meet, but there's later for that." Flynn explained to the guests. "Scott, his brother, father and Doctor K are currently involved in something a the moment, but you'll meet them soon enough."

"How did the three of you escape Venjix's prison?" Ziggy asked. The question had been eating at him for quite some time and couldn't wait any longer.

"Dillon took charge and got us out of there. He's an amazing ranger." Edward said, patting his son on the back.

"And I'm sure he has all of you to thank for that." Eva assured them.

"Thanks, dad." Dillon said, wrapping his arm around Summer. "I only used the techniques _you_ taught me. An Ex Navy SEAL training me helped me more than you'll ever know." He told his father. Dillon always felt proud of his father, and it was an incredible feeling to have his father proud of him.

"And you're the Black Ranger to boot, that's always been you're favorite color." Eva chimed in with a small chuckle.

Summer looked over to Dillon in confusion. "Black? That means they must have seen you in your ranger form. Were you able to morph?" she asked him.

"It's a…long story." Dillon said with a weak chuckle. His words didn't seem to sit right with Summer. She assumed that that reading she got earlier that disappeared was no doubt Dillon, but rangers were never able to morph in the Venjix Barricades, so something wasn't right.

"And who's this pretty lady, Dillon?" Eva asked, looking to Summer clinging to him.

"Oh," Summer exclaimed, just noticing that she was the only one who hadn't introduced herself. "I'm Summer. It's wonderful to finally meet you." She said with a smile, shaking Edward and Eva's hands.

"You too." Eva said with a sweet smile.

"This is great!" Ziggy shouted happily. "Everyone is finally reunited with each other. This is like a fairy tale or something. Now you and Taryn can finally learn about your past." Ziggy was a great friend. Always happy when something worked out to benefit his friends.

Upon hearing Ziggy's statement, Edward and Eva's eyes grew wide with concern. "Remember your past?" Edward asked in horror. "What does that mean?"

Dillon sighed hard before he explained. He had hoped to sweep this all under the rug for now and just enjoy the presence of one another, but he knew that his parents deserved an explanation. "Taryn and I have…amnesia." He said, obviously still bothered by it.

"Amnesia? What in the world happened?!" Eva exclaimed, rushing to her kids.

Taryn could tell by the look on her brother's face that he didn't want to talk about this, he still regretted that any of this ever happened to them and still blamed himself. So she did what any sister would, and stepped forward. "The day that Venjix attacked me and Dillon, he captured us and wanted to turn us to his side. And in the process, he wiped out our memories." Taryn said sadly, hating bringing up all of her dreadful past.

"I was lucky enough to get away without being turned into one of Venjix's generals…but Taryn wasn't so lucky. He forced her to work for him by the name Tenaya 7." Dillon explained.

"You mean you had to work…for Venjix?" Edward asked his daughter. She answered with a sad and regretful nod, still ashamed of how she acted in her past whether it was in her control or not.

"But the point is she's with us now. Her Venjix assistant days are over." Ziggy told them, wrapping his arm around Taryn.

Edward walked up to Taryn and hugged her gently. "We all have things that we aren't proud of in the past, but that doesn't matter. What matters is how you live your future." He said in a kind tone. Truth was, Venjix general or not, he and Eva would still love both of their kids no matter what.

"Thanks, dad." She said softly, hugging him back.

"But…if you two can't remember anything, how did you know who we were?" Eva asked curiously.

"No matter what Venjix did to us, we'd always know who are parents are when we see them. That's why he had his other generals capture you way back then, because he knew I'd recognize you." Taryn told them.

"That was the one thing Venjix couldn't take from us—knowing who are parents are, without a doubt." Dillon chimed in, trying to turn the conversation into a positive one. He didn't want the first day they all got back together to be filled with tears. "We have you, and Scott has his brother. Seems like things are finally going right for a change." He continued looking at the beautiful girl on his arm. He was content just to be holding her again. Her soft touch and the smell of her hair was something he ached for when he was captured, and he was finally back.

"And we'll tell you everything you want to know about your past. Everything." Eva assured them.

"I have an idea!" Summer said cheerfully. "Why don't we have a little 'Welcome Back' party for your parents and Marcus? That way everyone can catch up and have a good time." She was so happy and excited that everyone was back with the ones they loved and felt that it had to be celebrated.

"That sounds great!" Taryn said happily. She too wanted the reunions of everyone to be celebrated in one form or another. "Would you two enjoy that?" she asked her parents.

"I'd love it! Anything's better than working your fingers to the bone in a Venjix prison." Eva joked.

"I'll bring chips!" Ziggy chimed in, throwing a hand in the air. There wasn't much Ziggy didn't like about a good party, and he wanted to be apart of it in any way he could.

"Great!" Summer replied to everyone. "How's tomorrow night?" she asked, looking to everyone.

"Perfect. That should give us all the time we need to rest up." Edward told her. "I've never liked sitting around for too long, so a party will be great."

"And on that note let's take you two back to the infirmary to make sure you're 100%." Dillon said, placing his hands on his parent's shoulders. He knew that he seemed a little over protective of them, but having just gotten them back in his life, he wasn't going to take any chances of putting them in danger.

"I'll come too." Taryn insisted. She still had a lot that she wanted to talk to her parents about, and just loved being in their presence.

"Thanks." Eva told her children. "It was nice meeting all of you." She said to the other rangers with a wave. The others answered back with a happy wave of their own, and with that, Dillon, Taryn, Edward and Eva all made their way back to the infirmary.


	14. Mr And Mrs Preston

In the infirmary, Dillon, Taryn and their parents entered one of the rooms and saw Scott sitting next to Marcus' bedside. They hoped that they weren't interrupting anything, but the Black Ranger knew that Scott would be happy to see them all, especially given the circumstances.

"Mind if we crash the party?" Dillon asked, peeking his head into the room.

Scott immediately turned when he heard his fellow ranger's voice and headed over to him. "Dillon?" he asked in shock, giving his friend a high-five.

"In the flesh." Dillon answered with a cheerful face.

"How did you make it back here? Does Venjix know you escaped?" he asked. He hated getting right into the drama of the matter, but if Dillon had left a trail leading right to his brother and the rangers, it needed to be taken care of.

"Well, let's just say that nothing was going to stop me from getting my parents back." Dillon replied with a smile on his face. Scott and the others had never seen Dillon smile so much in the whole time they've known him and wondered if this was what he was actually like before his mind was erased.

"Wait—_these_ are your parents?" Scott asked with a wide smile, pointing to the couple behind the Black Ranger.

"I'm Edward." Edward said, extending a hand to the Red Ranger, shaking it.

"And I'm Eva." Dillon's mother said, doing the same.

"Nice to meet you Edward and Eva. I'm Scott, the team leader—" he began.

"He never leaves that out when he meets someone…" Dillon teased his friend.

Scott just ignored Dillon's comment and the snickering coming from his family. In a way, he missed he and Dillon's brother like banter they used to do before he disappeared. "And here in the bed next to me is my older brother Marcus." He explained, patting Marcus on the shoulder.

"Hello, Marcus." Eva said with a sweet nod.

"Good to see you again." Edward chimed in with a friendly smile.

Confusion hit Dillon and Scott's faces. "Wait…" the Red Ranger said slowly, "you three know each other?"

"We met in Venjix's prison." Eva told them.

"We would talk to one another about our families while we worked." Edward added. "What ever happened to that scar?" he asked.

Marcus shot the couple a strange look. "Scar?"

"Yeah, the one you got when you tried to fight off the Grinders. You got it the day we left." Eva said. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh…who knows?" Marcus said with a nervous chuckle. "Maybe we were so dehydrated that we dreamed that or…maybe Doctor K's treatment really works." He explained. "Point is that we are out of there, back with our family." He said, looking at his brother.

"And speaking of which, we're having a party tomorrow night for everyone and we were hoping you and Scott could come." Taryn said sweetly.

"We're there!" Scott answered with excitement. "Right, Marcus?"

"Sounds absolutely perfect." Marcus replied with a half smile.

"What about you, Doctor K?" Dillon asked the doctor who abruptly entered the room. "Would you want to come?" he figured he would be the one to ask her seeing as how things were kind of sketchy between the two of them. He wanted to show her that they could start over and get a new start.

A look of shock hit the doctor's face. She couldn't believe that after everything she put him through, and all of the things she said, that he would still want her to come. This only made her see more of the good side of the Black Ranger. "Yeah." She answered softly. "T-thank you." She stuttered.

"Great." Dillon answered happily. "But before we party, we need to take care of business." He said, referring to his parents that still needed to be checked out.

"Yeah, could you please look over our parents, Doctor K?" Taryn asked her nicely. "Make sure they don't have any internal injuries or anything?"

"Of course." Doctor K said with a smile. "Come with me Mr. and Mrs. Preston." She said. Little did the rangers know, she had already met Dillon and Taryn's parents a long time ago.

"Preston?" Taryn asked in confusion. "How do you know our parent's last names?"

Doctor K sighed and shoved her hands into her lab coat. "You see, I've known Edward and Eva Preston for quite some time. Edward is the tough exterior Navy SEAL gone scientist, and the lovely lady next to him is Eva, the top scientist in her field in the fight against the Venjix virus. The two were hard at work trying to find a cure." Doctor K explained to them.

"But…if you knew who they were, why didn't you tell Taryn and me about them?" Dillon asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"I knew that Edward and Eva had two kids, but I never saw or met them. And they didn't tell me your names because they figured that would put you in danger down the road." Doctor K told them. "I had no idea it was the two of you."

Dillon and Taryn turned to their parents for the answers. "Is that true?" Taryn asked them softly. From what she knew of them, she knew that they were good people, but she had no idea that they had gone to such lengths to keep her and Dillon safe.

"Yes." Eva answered with a weak nod. "But it looks like our efforts were useless."

"Hey." Dillon said firmly, walking over to her. "We know you and dad did the best you could. Please don't beat yourselves up about it." He told her in a kind voice. Eva answered with another small nod. She couldn't believe that a few of her son's kind words made her feel so much better.

"So…." Scott joined in, trying to lighten the moment. "You two are Dillon and Taryn Preston. Has a nice ring to it." He said with a smile.

"We thought so too. Eva named Taryn after her mother and I named Dillon after my father. They were incredible people." Edward explained. "This way it seems a part of them in still with us."

"Wait…" Dillon chimed in with a curious tone. "My name is really Dillon? I thought I just pulled that off the top of my head."

"Perhaps something in your subconscious made you remember it." Doctor K explained. "That's been a known fact for amnesiacs…well at least robotically enhanced amnesiacs. Although the victim usually forgets the people and memories they once had, their name is something they always remember."

"Well, amnesia or not, we're glad to have all of you back." Scott said happily.

"I still think Ranger Series Black was right when he said that Mr. and Mrs. Preston should get examined. You can never be too careful." The doctor told them, pulling out a clipboard.

"You had better listen to her," Taryn said with a playful tone, "I haven't been here that long myself, but I know when Doctor K means business." She said, wrapping her arms around her mother and father's shoulders.

"Trust me…we know." Eva said with a small giggle. She and Edward knew how Doctor K could be if she didn't get work done that she thought was necessary. They figured it would be easier if they just listened to her.

"Well, I'm going to go find Ziggy. I sure have a lot to tell him about." Taryn said with a grin. She kissed her mother and father on the cheek and they exited out of the room.

"Yeah. I should head out too, I've been keeping Marcus captive all day." Scott said, hopping from his seat. "Let's go, Dill." He continued, patting Dillon on the shoulder.

"Right." Dillon answered, "But don't call me 'Dill'." He said with a dry chuckle. Then the two rangers said their goodbyes to everyone in the room and left. When the two made it outside and the doors were closed, they began talking.

"So, I'm guessing your planning to spend the night with Summer, right? I know she's been missing you something fierce." Scott said, leaning against the stair railing.

"I know." Dillon answered in a low and bothered voice as he leaned against the wall, folding his arms. "I hate that I'm such a burden to her."

"Listen, I know you and I know Summer, and trust me, the last thing she thinks you are is a burden." Scott told him. "She knows you're a ranger and things come up. Sometimes you have to act on impulse instead of using your head. It just comes with the uniform."

"I guess you're right." Dillon answered. "When did you stop being the fearless leader and start being a mentor?" he joked to the Red Ranger.

"What can I say?" Scott asked, shrugging his arms. "That's why I'm the one in red I guess." After a laugh between the two, Scott pushed himself from the railing and began to head down the stairs. When he didn't hear Dillon behind him, he turned around. "You coming?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah. I'll be there in a minute." He replied.

"Cool. See ya!" Scott said happily and continued going down the stairs.

"See ya." Dillon said in a barely audible tone. It was obvious in his new demeanor that something was on his mind and he tried his best not to let Scott knew what it was. He hated thinking of all the pain that he had caused Summer over the past couple of months. He loved her with everything in him and couldn't bear that he made her unhappy. He turned to face the wall and pounded it with his fist.

From his heightened emotions he felt that stinging pain in his head that he feared most. "No…" he told himself softly, pressing his forehead hard against the wall. He winced painfully and shut his eyes tightly. He slid down the wall, trying anything he could to stop the virus from consuming him. When he found it in him to finally open his eyes, they were a bright crimson color. But as quickly as they turned to red, they turned back to normal, to his brown humane eyes. He knew the virus was still trying to get to him time and time again, but he never got this close to losing control before. Flynn's powers were still working, but given what had just happened, he had no idea if they would last much longer.


	15. Late Night Swim

Later that night, Summer found herself still unable to sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed but found that made her all the more restless. She didn't know the reason for her sleepless night. She had Dillon back, and he and Scott had their families back. She just couldn't figure out why she was having trouble sleeping. She turned to her clocked and watched the green numbers flick from 3:01 to 3:02. She didn't see her falling asleep any time soon, so she thought she head down to Dillon's room to check on him. Just seeing him sleeping, or attempting to, made her feel at peace. She loved the way he looked when he slept, he looked so innocent and carefree.

When she couldn't stand her bed anymore, she rose from it and slipped on a pair of black slippers she had that matched her black nightdress with a yellow daisy on the front. She left her room and headed down the hall and up the stairs to Dillon's room. She pushed the door open a crack and was surprised when she didn't see him there. She pushed the door open all the way and bolted in the room. For a moment, she thought that Dillon coming back to her had all been a dream, and she felt panic fill her body.

Without thinking she ran down to the Garage to see if her nightmare was true—that he wasn't really back, and it was all some fairy tale she had concocted in her mind. As she ran to the lab computers, she found herself stopping in her tracks when she saw Dillon's motorcycle parked right where he had left it. Summer let out a sigh of relief when she gazed at the bike. She walked over to it and ran her hands across the handlebars. She felt herself smile when she realized how worried she'd been. Dillon was here and her was safe, but one thing still bothered her—if he was back, where was he?

Summer heard faint dripping noises coming from her left, like something dropping into water. When she looked over she saw someone standing outside, throwing stones into a nearby lake. She knew without a doubt who it was, and headed outside herself.

The person outside didn't here Summer coming up behind them, because they seemed to be deep in thought, so she thought she'd break the silence by saying the first thing she thought of.

"Why so serious?" she asked, looking at the person in front of her.

"Hi, Summer." Dillon answered, not turning around, still throwing stone after stone into the lake.

"What are you doing out here? Isn't it past your bedtime?" she teased, hoping to get something as little as a smile out of him.

"I came out here to think." He told her. "Sorry if I made you worry." He said, skipping another stone across the top of the water.

"Could you use some company?" Summer asked, walking beside him, picking up a stone at her feet.

"Don't lose sleep on account of me. I wouldn't want you getting hurt in battle because I kept you up too late." He said, looking at the stone in his hands.

"I couldn't sleep myself. I've just been tossing and turning for hours." She replied, skipping a stone far across the water.

"A lot's been going on." Dillon answered lowly.

"How long have you been out here?" Summer asked, looking to him.

"A while." He answered, looking back at the water.

"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Summer asked him in a gentle tone.

"What makes you think something's bothering me?" he asked, finally looking at her.

"I don't know…could be you're out here skipping rocks at three o' clock in the morning. Just a guess." She said shrugging her shoulders, walking around.

"I feel like I can't be happy." Dillon told her. "At least not until I find a cure for this damn Venjix Virus."

"And we will." Summer assured him, going to stroke his shoulder, but he jerked away suddenly.

"You don't know that." He told her in a harsher than normal tone. "I mean…" he began, his tone growing softer and more defeated. "what if this is it? What if this is my life now? Always having to keep my distance from people—even the ones I love, because I may suddenly attack them against my will."

"That's just it!" Summer shouted in a kind voice. "It isn't you, it's Venjix! Anything that you do against your will is Venjix." She assured him. She saw Dillon sigh and turn back to the water. From behind him she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Dillon…you're trying so hard not to let this virus beat you that it already has. You're so afraid that you're going to do something you regret that you're missing out on the happy things in life, like your parents, your sister—"

"You." Dillon interrupted. He knew it was true. He had been so wrapped up in the Venjix Virus that he felt he had been ignoring her, and she didn't deserve that. She had a point, it _was_ like the virus had already beaten him, because it was all he thought about morning, noon, and night. "I'm sorry." He told her softly.

"Don't be sorry." Summer told him. "Just be you."

"I don't even know who _me_ is yet." He replied.

"I'll help you find it. But first, what you need is fun." Summer told him with a mischievous grin, that Dillon couldn't see given she was behind him.

"Fun?" Dillon asked with a light scoff.

"Yes, and tonight you're going to have some!" She giggled, pushing him into the lake in front of him. Dillon stumbled and staggered trying to regain his balance so that he wouldn't fall into the water, but his efforts were useless. He fell into the water with a big splash much to Summer's delight.

Dillon swam to the surface of the water and spit some out of his mouth. He pushed his hair from his face and glared at Summer while he tried to stay above water.

"What was that for?!" He asked her, unable to believe that she was still laughing.

"You need to cool off a little—to have just one night where you don't worry about anything or anyone. To just have fun like a young person should." She said, looking down at the soaking Black Ranger.

"And what about you?" Dillon asked her, a sly smile coming across his face.

"I don't need to cool off, I'm already having fun." She replied with a smirk. Just looking at him down there in the water made her want to laugh and laugh. She loved Dillon with all her heart, and if pushing him into a lake was the only way to get him to have some fun, then so be it.

"Is that right?" Dillon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That is correct." Summer answered, playfully crossing her arms.

"So, then you won't mind if I were to do something like…this!" he shouted, splashing the Yellow Ranger repeatedly with water. Summer squealed given to the coldness of the lake water, but she also found herself laugh as well as Dillon.

"Okay, okay!" she yelled between bouts of laughter. "Truce!" she said, halting Dillon's splashing.

"Had enough?" he asked her with a large grin.

"More than." She replied wrapping her arms around herself.

Then Dillon's eyes grew dangerously wide as he pointed behind the Yellow Ranger. "Summer, look out!!" he screamed.

"What?!" Summer cried in response, turning to where Dillon was pointing. Next thing she knew, she felt him grab her and pull her into the water with him.

"Join me for a swim." He said with a chuckle.

"I'll get you for that, Ranger Black!" she yelled, splashing Dillon as hard and as fast as she could. Then the two engaged in a splashing water war for a little while, just having good, carefree fun that they deserved. For once in his life Dillon found himself free of worry, and just living in the moment.

After a few more moments of water fun, Dillon gently took Summer by the arms and looked in her eyes. She just felt herself melt in his gaze, lost in his eyes, never wanting this moment to end.

"Thank you." He told her softly.

"Anytime." She replied in the same tone, just smiling back at him. The next thing she felt was Dillon moving a wet strand of hair from her face and gently stroking her cheek. He pulled her into him and began softly, yet passionately kissing her.

The two enjoyed the night in the lake, playing and just being with one another. It was a night they both needed, to be the one they loved, having some fun in a world where nothing else existed. Not Venjix, not the Venjix Virus, not anything, because all they needed in that moment, was each other.


	16. The Night Begins

Meanwhile, in the Venjix Barricades, Venjix was sitting calmly in his throne while Crunch paced nervously around the room. The general seemed to be a nervous wreck, and Venjix was slowly but surely losing his patience with him.

"I can't take this anymore!" The dopey attack-bot exclaimed. "I have to go out and attack the Power Rangers!" he went on. He halted his pacing and made a beeline for the door to go and attack.

"Don't you dare!" Venjix shouted at his minion, rising from his seat. The loud booming in his voice made General Crunch stop dead in his tracks.

"But why not?!" Crunch whined, turning back to his master. "All of this waiting is driving me crazy!"

"Patience is key here, Crunch." Venjix assured him, sitting slowly back into his throne. "All the pieces of the puzzle are in place, we just have to wait to see what happens. Either the Black Ranger will submit to the virus and fight by our side, or he will be forever lost in time, where he can no longer be a threat to us. Then, and only, then, will the Snap-Bot make his move."

"But…do you really think that the Snap-Bot can handle all of the rangers alone? It seems like they've gotten stronger since the whole Silver Swordsman scenario." General Crunch reminded his boss. "Wouldn't it be the smart thing to let Sifter and me go and weaken them first?"

"No." Venjix answered firmly. "If the Snap-Bot's cover is blown, this whole plan will collapse. Just be patient. Your time will come, got it?" he asked the over anxious general.

"Oh, I got it. Got it all the way." Crunch answered nervously. "I just hope this plan works out this time."

"Don't underestimate me, General Crunch. This plan _will_ work. We just have to wait to see what the Black Ranger's fate is." Venjix explained. "All we do for now is sit back and enjoy it." He said with a wicked snicker. Venjix knew this was his best plan ever, everything seemed to be in his favor. And after failing his last mission, he was damned if he was going to let it happen again.

It was the night of the big reunion party, it was a clear night and the moon was high. Everyone seemed to be more carefree than usual because this night was all about having a good time. For tonight, they planned, nothing evil existed, Venjix and his goons were all non-existent.

The rangers decided that the attire of the party would be formal, so it was taking everyone, especially the girls, a while to get ready. Summer, Taryn, Eva, and even Doctor K all were getting ready in Summer's room, happily applying make-up and styling their hair. Taryn wore a light pink, short-sleeved dress with her hair parted on the side with a pink, glittery rose clip. Seeing as how her arm was broken, her cast became apart of her out fit, so she got Doctor K to make her a pink one to match on this magical night.

Summer had on a pale yellow, spaghetti strapped dress that hung just above her knees. The sparkles on her dress glistened in the light. She had her hair half up and half down do. Her shoes were light silver with sparkles to match her dress.

Eva was dressed in a vintage black and white polka dot dress that she had bought earlier that day. Her brown hair was in a French twist, and she wore a small pair of black Mary Janes. A string of pearls hung around her neck to add a little extra class to her look.

Doctor K even looked beautiful. Taryn and Summer had helped her find a look that she was comfortable with, that also made her look like a princess. She had on a long sleeve red dress that ended around her mid-shin, her hair was combed back into a elegant ponytail with little ringlets framing her face. Her subtle red lipstick really brightened her face. It was the prettiest she had ever felt.

"Well, I certainly feel…different." Doctor K said, looking at herself in the mirror. She tried to play it off like she didn't care how she looked, but seeing herself now and as pretty as she looked, it was something she could get used to.

"You look beautiful." Taryn said, opening up a tube of pink lipstick and heading to the mirror in front of her. "So…" she went on it a teasing manner, "are you planning on dancing with my brother tonight, Summer?" she asked while she rubbed the lipstick on her lips .

"I was planning on it." Summer replied with a content smile, as she stuck two golden earrings in her ears. "What about you and Ziggy?"

"Well…" Taryn began, rubbing her lips together, "Ziggy isn't what you'd call the perfect dancer, but he tries really hard and in his own little way, it's kind of…charming." She said, smiling at the thought of the man she loved.

"What about you Mrs. Preston?" Summer asked her with a playful smile. "Are you and Mr. Preston going to 'cut it up'?"

Eva chuckled shyly before she answered. "Please, you can call me Eva." She insisted to the Yellow Ranger. "And Edward's always been an amazing dancer, that's one of the things that attracted me to him in the first place." She said, smiling from the memories she had with Edward. "He's such a romantic."

"Aw, that's sweet." Taryn answered, thinking the love her parents love was still as strong as ever. She wanted that kind of love with Ziggy, where the other person accepts you, flaws and all, and you're happy just being with that person.

"That must be where Dillon gets it." Summer said softly. Talking about love and romance made her think back to the night before when she and Dillon played in the lake. That was the best night of her life. She and Dillon had the love that Edward and Eva shared, and it was the best feeling in the world.

"And what about you, Doctor K?" Summer asked, turning to her. "Are _you_ planning on dancing with anyone tonight?"

"I…don't dance." The doctor answered bluntly.

"I bet it's because you've never really tried it." Eva said, walking to her friend. "I think once you give in to it, and find the right guy to dance with, you will." She smiled down at her friend. That was the thing about Eva, you could be thinking one thing about yourself one minute, but then she would completely changed your mind in no time. Doctor K just nodded at her friend, although she really didn't believe a word of what she said at the moment. Despite the fact that she thought she looked pretty good tonight, it still didn't change the fact that she was still a shy workaholic.

"Well, we'd better head down there. We don't want to keep the guys waiting too long." Taryn announced, looking at her watch. The girls all agreed and grabbed their purses. "I'm sure this will be a night to remember." She said, as she and the others headed down to the party.


	17. Coming Together

Downstairs, all of the men were waiting patiently for their dates. They all looked very handsome in their own way. Ziggy was wearing a jade green tux with a pink tie. Although he thought the colors looked kind of strange together, he always made sure that he wore a little pink to compliment what Taryn wore.

Scott wore a black suit with a white undershirt and red tie. He always wanted to look classy at formal events, and the more simple the suit, he thought the better he looked. Even though he was one of the only ones that didn't have a date tonight, he wanted to be ready in the off chance he met one tonight.

Flynn wore a midnight blue tuxedo with a lighter blue tie. Although he'd normally were his kilt on a fancy night like this, he thought he'd go the other way and wear a complete tux. Truth be told, he really like the way he looked and never wanted to take the tux off. He liked being in a nice suit.

Edward wore a classic black and white tuxedo. He knew that his wife's tastes were old fashioned like his, so he thought he'd coordinate with her. He had been married to her for almost twenty years, but he still wanted to look his best any time he was to see her.

Dillon was never one to really dress up. In fact, when he thought Summer was going to marry Chaz a few months ago, he only wore a dress shirt and his 5 jacket. He knew deep down why he really didn't dress for that event, but he still wasn't sure what to wear that night, so he decided to got with an all black tux with a bright white tie. He wanted to look his nicest for Summer, after all, she had gotten him to smile for the first time in a long while last night, he figured this was the least he could do.

After a few moments, the Green Ranger breathed twice into his hand. "Uh…does anyone have a mint or gum or something?" he asked nervously. "I _really_ need a mint!" he shouted, letting his nerves get the better of him.

"Calm down, man!" Flynn exclaimed, reaching into his pocket and pulling a small box of mints. "I have some. Just…try and relax." He assured him, patting his shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Easy for you to say--I don't want to disappoint Taryn!" Ziggy retaliated, shoving around ten mints into his mouth.

"Don't be worried there, son. From the way Taryn goes on about you, you have nothing to worry about." Edward told him to calm his nerves.

"So…" Scott began in a teasing manner, "are you and the missus going to dance together tonight?" The grin on his face made his friends snicker.

"You'd be surprised the moves you can learn when your training to be a Navy SEAL. Dancing teaches you coordination and discipline, and tonight I'm going to show you all how it's done." Edward told the rangers, who immediately started whooping.

"Yep, that's my dad: the Ex Navy SEAL/Scientist/Dancer." Dillon joked. He liked to tease his father, but truth be told he really admired and looked up to him, and hoped to be half the man he was one day.

"Don't forget 'Snazzy Dresser'." Edward added, popping his collar out, causing the others to laugh once more. The rangers loved the comedic fill he brought to the Garage because, given what they do, they all needed a laugh once in a while.

"Hey, has anyone seen my brother?" Scott asked suddenly, looking around the room.

"I'm right here!" Marcus announced, spreading his arms out. "Sorry I'm late!" he continued, making his way into the room in a green flight suit. "This place is so big that I got a little lost."

When Marcus ran up to his brother, Scott gave Marcus a strange glance from head to toe. Not only did he think that Marcus' attire was a little off, but the fact that he had gotten 'lost' kind of rubbed him the wrong way. Marcus was always great with directions, and where the dance was held was only downstairs from the infirmary.

"A flight suit?" Scott asked with a raised brow. "I thought that was what you were wearing the day you crashed."

"Um…" Marcus began, shifting his gazed nervously back and forth, "These were the only clothes I had."

"But…you have the closet at the base with me and Dad. Last time I checked nobody had moved your clothes." Scott replied, still confused by everything that was going on.

"Oh, guess I just had a brain slip. When Venjix dehydrated me I must have just forgotten." Marcus answered, not really sounding like himself. He let out a nervous chuckle a few moments later.

"Right." Scott replied suspiciously. He just had a feeling that something wasn't right here, and it was bothering him that he didn't know what.

"We're here!" Summer called from the top of the stairs. The guys watched in awe as the pampered women made their way down the stairs. The all looked so beautiful and elegant that it almost took their breaths away.

"Wow, Eva. You look as beautiful as the day I meant you." Edward said sweetly, his eyes sparkling at her mere beauty.

"Thank you, Edward." Eva replied with a blushing smile. "You're still quite the looker yourself." Then the couple moved into one another and shared a light kiss. Their love was still as strong as it was all those years ago.

Next, Taryn walked up to her man in green with a bright smile. "Wow, Taryn. You look…sensational." Ziggy said in awe. He couldn't believe that a woman as beautiful as her was his date. She looked like an angel.

"Aw, thanks Ziggy." She replied with a grin. "And your suit is wonderful—you're wearing my two favorite colors."

"That's why I did it!" Ziggy replied excitedly. "I'm so happy you like it!"

"I _love_ it." She corrected him, kissing him gently on the lips.

While everyone was getting settled with their dates, Flynn and Scott just kind of stood around and watched. But when Doctor K made he appearance, the Blue Ranger's eyes grew incredibly wide. He nudged Scott's arm in shock to get him to look. And when Scott saw her, his jaw fell to the floor.

"Whoa…"Scott said, walking up to her in utter surprise. "Doctor K? Is that you?" he asked.

"I gather from the sudden facial spasms from you and Blue, that I look okay?" The doctor asked, not letting it show that the looks on their faces gave her an unbelievable confidence boost.

"Aye, better than okay," Flynn began, still looking wide eyed at her. "You look—"

"Really lovely." Scott finished for him, unable to take his eyes off of her. For he knew that not only was she beautiful on the outside, but she was beautiful on the inside as well.

Doctor K giggled shyly at Scott's words. "T-thank you both. It was all Summer, Eva and Taryn's doing." She told them.

"I have to have a dance with you tonight." Scott insisted.

Doctor K's eyes grew wide in surprise and she felt her heart skip a beat. She never had a handsome man look at her like this, and she didn't want it to end. "We-well, if you find the p-proper song, sure." She answered in stutters.

"And speaking of songs, we could use a little music in this joint." Flynn said with a smile as he ran to the stereo at the other side of the room. He hit a few buttons and a upbeat romantic song filled the room.

After the music started, Summer made her way over to Dillon. She never remembered him looking as handsome as he did right now. She loved everything his was wearing, thinking he looked classic and romantic. He was also wearing something she rarely saw him in—a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Preston." She said with a sweet smile.

"Hello, Ms. Landsdown." He replied, grinning just as widely at her. He had no idea that she thought he looked as good as he did, all that filled his mind was how beautiful _she_ looked. He thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world, and just looking at her tonight made him smile. "You look…so beautiful." He told her, thinking that beautiful was a major understatement.

"Thank you, Dillon." She replied. "And you look broodishly handsome yourself." She giggled.

Dillon just let out a laugh, then took her hand and pulled her into him and kissed her. He couldn't contain it anymore, he had to have her in his arms. As he kissed her, his hands lightly brushed her cheeks.

"It's good to hold you again." He told her in a soft voice.

Summer nodded. "I know, it feels like it's been forever, when it's only been a couple of days." She answered.

"It was too long." He told her, looking into her eyes and just holding her.

"We're finally together again. And looking back…you were totally worth the wait." She said, nuzzling her head against his chest, hugging him tightly. "Now nothing can separate us anymore." She said with a sigh of content.

"Right." Dillon answered lowly, worry falling over his face. As good as it felt to hold her in his arms, he couldn't help but think about the Venjix Virus. He still had no leads on a cure, and didn't know if he'd ever find one. The night before kept popping up in his mind, it was the one night that he didn't let things bother him. Maybe it was because Summer was with him and whenever he was, he couldn't help but feel a little…safer.


	18. Just Keep Dancing

A few hours into the dance, everything seemed to be going wonderfully. Everyone was laughing and talking, the couples held each other close as they swayed on the dance floor. I was a fantastic night, not one seemed to have a care in the world, and Venjix was nothing but a bad dream.

Dillon held Summer to him as close as he could. He loved just holding her in his arms. They swayed back and forth with Summer's head lying gently against his chest. He never wanted to let her go, because he was afraid that if he did, she'd slip away forever. He tilted his head down and gently kissed her head. Summer sighed happily from his romantic actions and gripped on to him tighter.

Dillon didn't want anything to ruin this night, so he tried his best to act like the Venjix Virus didn't exist. But this feat was only made that much harder when he felt his body tighten and his eyes begin to glow. He let out a small wince that he hoped Summer wouldn't hear. But given how close she was, he knew that she did.

When Summer felt Dillon's body tense and his grip on her tighten, she pulled away from him. "Are you okay?" she asked him in a gentle voice.

"Great." He answered with a fake smile. "It's just that I wanted to give to something." He told her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black box. When Summer took the box and opened it, she saw that his silver pocket watch was inside.

"Your pocket watch?" she asked, looking at the object. "You're giving this to me?" she asked.

"More like a loan." He answered, looking to her.

"Why?" she asked, looking at Dillon with confused eyes. She had no idea why Dillon would give something that meant so much to him to her. He had this watch for almost three years so she figured some important reasoning had to be behind it.

"It's just my way of telling you that…no matter what happens, I'll always find my way back to you. Always" He said in a somber voice. He could barely bring himself to look at her, he hated brining something like this up on a romantic night like tonight, but given the fact that the virus almost took over him while he was holding her, he assumed the sooner the better.

"Are you sure about this?" Summer asked him, still confused by what was going on.

Dillon just looked at the watch, and then to her, stroking her cheek gently. "Positive." He answered softly.

"Thanks." Summer said with a smile, holding the watch close to her chest. "Now I'll always have a piece of you with me." She smile.

"Summer," Dillon said with a firm voice that had fear behind it, gently grabbing her shoulders, "I love you—know that. Please tell me you know that." He begged her.

"I know that." Summer answered, thrown by Dillon's sudden change in tone.

"No matter what happens?" he asked her, seeming desperate for an answer.

"No matter what happens?" Summer asked in confusion. She then shifted her gaze from Dillon's eyes to the watch in her hands, worry coming across her face. "Dillon, what's going on? Is everything okay?" she asked.

"I…" Dillon began, hating the words that he was about to say. His mouth almost didn't allow him. "I have an evil virus spreading inside me, Summer. There's no guarantees on what will happen." He told her sadly.

Summer just took his hands in her and looked him in the eyes. "We'll find a cure—somehow." She assured him. Summer was surprised in the sureness in her voice, she had no idea if she would ever find a cure, or if there even _was_ a cure for that matter. But all she knew in this moment was that the man she loved needed some sort of reassurance, whether it was certain or not.

"There isn't one, Summer. At least not yet." He told her with a defeated voice. "I'm so sorry." He told her, lowering his head.

Summer felt a few tears fill her eyes. "Well, what do we do now?" she asked him sadly.

Dillon just sighed and looked in her eyes. "Just keep dancing." He said softly. And with that, he pulled Summer into him again, where she laid her head against his chest, and the two swayed somberly to the love ballads that filled the air. The way they saw it was, if the time they had together was limited, they might as well enjoy it for as long as they could.

While the other couples were out on the floor dancing, Doctor K found herself alone near one of her computers. She was happy that the dance took place in the Garage, because as out of her skin as she felt on this night, it felt good to be near something familiar. Not doing research or work of some kind for this long was driving her crazy, so she went to turn it on when she felt a hand grab hers to stop her.

"Ah ah ah, no working tonight." Scott said from behind her.

"Oh, it's you." The doctor responded shyly. "Listen, I really need to check the shields—"

"That can wait." Scott interrupted in a kind voice. "Right now, I want to dance with you."

It was at the moment that Doctor K heard a soft song fill the Garage air, indicating that if they were to dance, that it would be a slow one. "Well, I-I really need to…" she began.

"You promised." Scott reminded her, taking her hands in his. "And I'm going to hold you to that."

"Well," She began, "I suppose _one_ dance wouldn't hurt." And with that, she walked out onto the dance floor with the Red Ranger. Truth be told, she had never planned on dancing with him, but when she saw him smiling at her with that beautiful smile of his, she couldn't resist. After that night she had with him where the two of them opened up to one another, she couldn't stop thinking about him, not even for a moment.

When the two made it onto the dance floor, they got into the classic slow dance position and began to sway along with the soft music.

"So," Scott said, looking down at the doctor, "are you having a nice night?"

After taking a moment to think about his question, Doctor K nodded softly. "It's been…different." She told him, looking down nervously.

"Good different?" he asked in response.

Doctor K just looked at the Red Ranger, smiled and sighed in content. "Wonderful different." She answered.

"Good." Scott said with a wide smile. "You do a lot, you deserve to have a little fun. A lot actually."

"Fun?" Doctor K asked in surprise. "Fun isn't something that I'm used to, given how I was raised. But…maybe I could get used to it." She said softly, finally feeling a little more comfortable in Scott's arms.

"Sometimes, you know, you could leave some work for us to do while you have a little downtime." He offered her.

"I may just do that." She answered. "Thank you…Scott."

"It really makes you uncomfortable to call people by their first names…doesn't it?" he asked, the smile leaving his face. He couldn't imagine why she seemed so distant from the other rangers and until recently, him. He hoped that nothing happened to her to make her the way that she was when it came to people.

"It's how I was brought up. If you don't know or call anyone by their real name, it keeps you from getting close to them, so in the long run you don't end up getting…hurt." She explained, looking up into the ranger's eyes. She hated that she put her guards down and submitted to being interested in someone, it only made her all the more frightened that she would wind up regretting it later.

"Names don't determine how close you are to someone—your actions do, and sometimes you have to just let go…and give in." he told her.

"You make a good point." She replied, putting her head back down, trying to decide for herself if she should let go, and give in like Scott said.

"By the way," Scott said suddenly, "none of us know _your_ real name."

"And I'd rather keep it that way." She assured him. She hoped that Scott didn't think he was talking to a wall this whole time, but this was a hurdle that she couldn't yet jump. She just prayed that Scott understood. She felt herself pull away from him and walk off.

"But…" Scott said to himself softly, alone on the dance floor. Seconds later, Marcus ran up to him.

"What happened, little bro?" he asked.

"Doctor K is really scared to open up to people, and I wish I knew why." Scott said, shifting his gaze sadly to the floor.

"Everyone has their quirks…maybe this is hers." Marcus offered, hoping to aid his little brother in any way he could.

"I still wish I could help her." Scott replied, looking at the Doctor run upstairs.

"Forget about her for now, bro. Venjix needs to be your priority right now." Marcus said rather abruptly, throwing Scott off. It wasn't every day that Marcus was this insensitive. But right now he didn't care, what he cared about was making Doctor K feel better.

"He is, Marcus." Scott snapped back. "But my friends are still important too." Then the Red Ranger walked away. He felt mad at everyone at the moment. Doctor K for not wanting to give into what she was feeling, Marcus for not caring about what meant most to him, and most off all, himself, for not being able to help someone he cared about.


	19. Dance of Disaster

Out on the dance floor, Summer and Dillon were still holding one another as closely as they could. As much as they wanted to enjoy this night of reunion and romance, they still felt somber inside. Every second that passed was cherished, not knowing what was to come or when it was going too.

The Dillon felt it. That stinging pain in his head that only meant that the virus was trying to take over him. He let out a cry of anguish and took a tight grip on his head. He took a few steps back from Summer so that he couldn't harm her in any way. In a blink of an eye, he fell to one knee.

"Oh, no." Summer said nervously, kneeling beside the one she loved. "Stay with me, Dillon, please! You can fight this!" she continued, grabbing his shoulders gently.

"I can't." Dillon said with a pained wince. "You have to get out of here!"

When the others heard Dillon shout, they turned to see what all the commotion was about. Seconds later, they saw him stop struggling and rising slowly from the floor. Fear filled their bodies when they saw that Dillon's eyes had turned a deep red color.

Not being able to control himself, he smacked Summer's hands off of him and began to lunge at her. He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her. She let out a cry of pain and remained still. She was paralyzed in fear, and couldn't believe that this was happening again, and that Flynn's powers had finally run out.

"Oh no…" Scott said with worry. "The virus has taken hold of him again, we have to get in there!" he began to run forward and he felt his brother grab his arm. "Marcus! Let go of me! Are you crazy?!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you interfere." Marcus told him in an evil voice.

"Wha…" Scott began. He stopped when he noticed that Marcus's eyes were glowing a strange yellow color. Then, seconds later, the man that he thought was his brother, morphed into a strange monster. A monster none other, that the Snap-Bot. Scott couldn't begin to fathom this situation, so he spent a few moments just looking at the creature before him in utter disbelief.

"You?!" Scott screamed. "Where's Marcus!" he screamed again, grabbing the Snap-Bot by the shoulders in pure fury.

But the attack-bot didn't answer. All he did was throw a punch Scott's way. The Red Ranger ducked to avoid the blow and answered with a punch of his own.

Flynn, Ziggy and Taryn were still on the dance floor. They didn't know what to do or who they should run to aid first. "What do we do?!" Ziggy yelled, looking at the two battles unfolding.

"I'll help Summer. You go and held Scott, aye?" Flynn asked, looking to the Green Ranger for a response. Ziggy just nodded in agreement and ran to where he was supposed to, as did Flynn.

Meanwhile, Taryn gathered up both of her parents and rushed them upstairs. Deep down she knew that they could probably help in a crunch like this, but they had just gotten better yesterday, and didn't want to push them too hard. At the same time, Doctor K ran to her computers and switched them on so she could get the info she needed on the Snap-Bot.

Scott wailed mercilessly on the Snap-Bot. He was beyond furious and wanted answers brother was none other than one of Venjix's henchmen, and he wasn't going to let that go.

"Where's my brother!" he screamed at the monster, ducking one of its punches and landing one of his own. Scott was so into the battle that he didn't realize that Ziggy was fighting right beside him.

"Can we fight now and ask questions later?!" the Green Ranger cried, jumping on the Snap-Bot's back trying to slow him down.

The next thing the Green and Red Rangers heard was Doctor K's voice shouting at them through their morphers.

"Rangers Green and Red, you need to engage the attack-bot _outside_ of the Garage. It's not safe for the battle to progress here." She informed that am quickly as she could.

Upon hearing Doctor K's request, Scott jumped back from the battle. "Enough!!" he screamed at the top on his longs. "Come on, Ziggy!" he shouted, running towards the exit.

"Right behind ya!" Ziggy retaliated, hopping from the bot's back and following his leader.

Like a predator chasing it's prey, the Snap-Bot immediately gave chase to the rangers.

Meanwhile, Flynn and Summer were trying as hard as they could to hold off Dillon. The Blue and Yellow Rangers both had a grip on both of his arms, trying to restrain him. Their hold was almost broken by the way Dillon was flailing about. They always forgot how big of a difference Dillon's enhanced strength made until they fought him.

"I can't hold him much longer!" Flynn cried, trying as hard as he could to not let go of him.

"Neither can I!" Summer cried as well.

And with that, Dillon threw both Summer and Flynn off of him, sending them to the floor. Summer hated when she looked up into his eyes that she saw nothing more than evil. It was like the night before and their love never existed, and that hurt worse than any pain she ever felt. She felt her heart beat faster when she saw Dillon ball his hands into fists and set his gaze on her. She just looked back at him sadly, so saddened by all of this. Her gaze seemed to stir something within the Black Ranger that caused him to pull back for a moment.

Flynn took this as a cue to run over to Doctor K. He took his morpher from his pocket and handed it to her quickly. As soon as she had it he went back over to Dillon to try and ward him off again.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Doctor K shouted to the Blue Ranger in confusion.

"Just hook it up to the computer and use my Time Manipulation powers to stop the virus!" he replied, still holding off his friend.

"No, Flynn!" Summer interrupted, rising from the ground.

"She has to Summer!" Flynn retaliated. "Everything will be fine! You just have to trust me!"

"What if he gets lost in time?!" Summer cried to the Blue Ranger.

"He'll find his way home." Flynn answered softly. "He always does."

"Well, Ranger Yellow?" Doctor K asked. "What should I do?"

Summer looked at the man she loved, she hated every part of this. She knew that if she gave Doctor K the green light, she could lose Dillon forever. But this wasn't about her—it was about Dillon. She sighed as she released her grip from his arm.

"Just do it." She answered in a barely audible voice. And Doctor K did just that. She synced Flynn's morpher with the virus. All she remembered seeing was Dillon jerking forward and letting out pained cry. The next thing she saw was him falling to the floor on his back.

Summer sat beside him gently stroking his face. At this moment she had no idea if he was alive or dead, good or evil. She felt a wave of relief flow over her when she saw his eyes open to none other than the beautiful shade of brown that she loved so much. It was enough for her at this moment just to know that he was alive.

Dillon?" Summer asked, petting his hair from his face. "Dillon, are you alright?"

But the Black Ranger never made eye contact with her. He seemed to be in a daze just staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Summer?" he called out for her in a low and almost frightened voice. He didn't even seem to notice she was right next to him.

Summer just looked at the man she loved in confusion and concern. "What is it?" she asked him, stroking his head once more.

"Summer, where are you?" he asked in fear. His gaze still seemed to be at nothing in particular and he still didn't seem to notice anyone or anything around him.

All Summer knew was that something wasn't right. And although she had no idea what it was , she knew it wasn't good. "I'm right here. " she told him in a gentle voice. "I'm right here." She told him once more. But when she still failed to get any sort of response from him, she turned to Doctor K for some sort of answer. "What happened to him?" she asked.

Flynn just felt his body tense. He already knew what was going on and it wasn't good. He just watched silently as Dillon continued to stare blankly ahead. He just heaved a soft sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, awaiting the news that Doctor K was going to tell Summer.

Doctor K just hit a few keystrokes on her computer and after a moment, rose from it with a sad face. "It appears that Ranger Series Black is…for lack of a better word, trapped between dimensions. As to which dimension, I'm uncertain." The doctor explained to Summer.

"Well," Flynn decided in intervene, "you were able to snap _me_ out of it, can't you just do the same with Dillon?" he asked, biting his thumb nervously.

"It doesn't work that way." Doctor K told him bluntly. "The reason I was able to pull you from your time complication was because time manipulation is your ability—it's bonded with you. Meaning, you are specifically programmed to handle problems of that magnitude. As for Ranger Series Black—"

"Dillon!" Summer screamed at the Doctor. "His name is Dillon!!"

Doctor K just looked at the Yellow Ranger after her outburst for a moment, and then just continued on with her explanation. "There's no telling what time period this virus took him too." She went on.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Summer asked in a stressed voice, still coming down from her screaming.

"Make him comfortable, that's all we can do at the moment." Doctor K told her, seeing Summer sigh as she answered. "If he wants to get out of this time crunch, it's all up to him."

"What do you mean?" Summer asked impatiently with a raised brow.

"Ranger Series Black has to face his past in order to be freed from it. That's all that can be done." Doctor K informed her.

Summer couldn't say a word. She had no words left. She expected something like this would happen and it did. All she found herself doing was staring in Dillon's eyes. They were a way she had never seen them before, they looked so…empty. Not full of all the passion he had for her or his mission to discover who he was. The look in his eyes scared her.

"Come on, Summer." Flynn said, interrupting her thoughts. He headed over to Dillon's other side and began to lift him. "Let's take him to his bed."

"Right. We have to make him comfortable." Summer answered, glaring daggers at Doctor K. Doctor K didn't say anything in response, she just watched as the Blue and Yellow Rangers carried Dillon upstairs to his room. A thought crossed her mind that, maybe what Scott said was right. Maybe she was too distant and alone. She realized that maybe she was too blunt when diagnosing Dillon to Summer, and that made her feel bad. She sat at her desk and leaned back, trying to think of what she should do.

Upstairs, Flynn placed Dillon gently in his bed which Summer immediately got in with.

"I have to go help Ziggy and Scott. Are you okay here?" he asked, watching her cling tightly to Dillon.

"What do I tell Taryn and her parents?" Summer asked in a near panicked voice.

"I'll handle that." Flynn assured her. "You just…stay here with him, okay?"

"Of course." Sumer replied with a small, saddened sigh, looking to Dillon. "Thank you, Flynn."

Flynn just answered with a weak nod and left the room, closing the door behind him.

After the door closed, Summer looked at the watch that was still in her hands, and then to the Black Ranger. She bent down, pushed his hair back and kissed his forehead gently.

"I'm not going anywhere." She told him, holding the watch close to her chest. She had no idea what she could to do save him from this, but what she did know was that she wasn't going to leave his side, and that no matter what it took, she was going to save him from this.


	20. Parents to the Rescue

When Flynn made it out the door, he hurried towards the stairs. There, he saw Taryn, Edward and Eva waiting and worrying. He had no idea how he was going to tell them what was going on, all he knew was that he was going to have to make it fast because Ziggy and Scott needed him.

"Flynn, what's going on?" Taryn asked running up to him. "Where's my brother?"

"In his room with Summer." Flynn answered in a sad voice.

"Well…why? Is he alright?" she asked the Blue Ranger.

Flynn remained silent for a moment, then heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. His silence made Eva start to grow worried.

"Flynn…" Eva asked, approaching him. "What happened?" she asked, soon after feeling Edward's arm wrap around her.

"I can't sugar coat this for you…" Flynn began, hating what he was about to tell them. "The Venjix Virus…took hold of him." He said slowly, hanging his head in preparation for their reaction.

"What?!" Taryn cried. "Again?! And he's in that room with Summer alone?!" she went on, beginning to run towards Dillon's room. But the Blue Ranger extended his arm to prevent her from doing so.

"No." he answered softly. "It's nothing like that."

"Then what's going on?" Edward asked with a firm voice, walking towards Flynn.

"He's in his room with Summer. He keeps saying things that don't seem to make sense. He's pretty out of it." Flynn told them.

"I don't understand any of this." Eva said with exasperation, shaking her head. "I thought the Venjix Virus was made to convert him over to fight for Venjix, and no you're saying that he's lying in bed out of it. Something else has to be going on." She then walked to the Blue Ranger and looked in his eyes. "Did you have something to do with this?" she asked.

"Aye." Flynn answered with a disappointed sigh. Truth was, he was ashamed that he had any part in this. If he hadn't interfered, who knows what would have happened. Maybe the others would have found a way to restrain Dillon, or detain him in some way, but now everything was messed up and there seemed to be no way out at the moment. "I…loaned Dillon some of my Time Manipulation ability so that he could find a way to nullify the effects of the virus." He explained.

"Why would you do that?" Taryn asked with hostility in her voice that she couldn't control.

"I had to. He _begged_ me." Flynn answered in shame. "I should of told him it was a mistake. But he told me that he'd rather be lost in time than one of Venjix's fighters."

"Wait, wait." Edward interrupted, waving his hands. "Did you just say 'lost in time'?"

"Aye, and Doctor K says that he'll remain lost until he can…face his past." Flynn said, hating the fact that he couldn't tell or do more.

Upon hearing these words, the three family members looked at one another and began to head into Dillon's room, but Flynn walked in front of them to stop them.

"And he has to do it alone." He told them.

"What?" Taryn exclaimed. "Didn't you just say that Summer was in there with him?"

"Aye, but he has to face his past as a ranger, and maybe Summer's ranger powers can help him in some way." Flynn said.

"Like _yours _did?" Taryn retaliated in a snide manner.

Flynn just remained silent, hurt from Taryn's words. He knew that she really didn't mean any of it, she was just upset that her brother was in the position he was in and there was nothing she could do to help him. "I just…don't think Dillon would want you to see him like this." Flynn finally said softy.

"Well, let us help _you_." Edward chimed in. "You're off to help Scott and Ziggy, right?" he said. Flynn nodded in response. "We're going with you, you're two rangers short and we have fighting experience."

"I want to help too." Taryn said quickly, willing to do anything to help.

"No, it's too dangerous." Flynn said, walking past the family and heading down the stairs. He stopped when he felt Edward take his arm.

"Please, let's us help you, Flynn. Venjix is _our_ enemy too." Edward told him. "You and your friends do so much. Let's us do this for you."

"Please, Flynn. I'm sorry about before." Taryn chimed in.

Flynn couldn't help but smile at Dillon's family's concern and love for him, how they would do anything to help. He sighed with defeat and turned to them. "Fine, but we have to hurry—let's go."

Then, he and the others headed down the stairs to do what they do best—protect the ones they loved.

Meanwhile, Scott and Ziggy were still trying to lure the Snap-Bot as far away from the Garage as they could. In order to do so, they had to run through civilian populated areas. They ran as quickly as they could, trying to not let the screaming, scurrying people delude them.

"Damn it!" Scott shouted, slowing his running down. "There's too many people around!"

"And I'm out of gas!" Ziggy cried, running out of fuel himself.

"We don't have any other choice…" Scott continued, pulling out his morpher and opening it. "Doc K!" he shouted into it.

"Yes, Ranger Series Red?" she answered instantly.

"Patch me through to my dad!" he ordered with haste in his voice.

"You got it." She told him, typing a couple of swift keystrokes. "Patching through now."

Seconds later, Scott heard his father's voice coming though the feed. "Scott?" the Colonel asked, "What's going on?"

"I need you to lower the city shields immediately!" he ordered in a hurried voice.

"A-and the sooner the better!" Ziggy chimed in.

"Lower the shields?!" Colonel Truman asked in disbelief, "Are you crazy? You're short three rangers with a monster that can take on any form. Request denied."

"Dad, we don't have any other choice! You're just going to have to believe in me and Ziggy!" Scott yelled to his father. He knew that the reason his dad immediately denied permission was because he knew that him and Ziggy were the only rangers left, and if something were to happen to them, the city of Corinth would be doomed.

"I'm sorry. I can't lower the shields for two rangers. It's too risky." Truman answered coldly.

Scott just let out a loud scoff and went to close his morpher, but just as he did, he heard a familiar voice come though the feed.

"Then how about three with some reinforcements!" Flynn's voice yelled, the relief was clear in his voice that he had found the others and knew that they were alright. When Scott turned around, there was Flynn's jeep driving up close behind him and stopped once it made it to the Green and Red Rangers. "Get in mates!" the Blue Ranger yelled from the rolled down window.

"Flynn? What're you doing here?" Scott asked his friend.

"Um…can we catch up later?" Ziggy asked nervously pointing behind him. "Because the Snap-Bot is gaining on us fast!

When Scott looked to his right, he saw that the attack-bot as less than twenty yards from them, and if they were going to make this work, they'd have to go now.

"Man's got a point." Scott pointed out, he and Ziggy piling into the deep blue jeep. Inside the jeep, Scott realized that his father was still on the line. "Dad—" he began.

"I know. I heard. I'll lower the shields now." Truman told them.

"Thanks, dad." Scott replied with a soft smile. This was the first time in a long while that his father seemed to trust him, and maybe this was why he was chosen as team leader. When Scott lowered his morpher, he heard his father's voice once more.

"And son?" Truman asked.

"Yeah?" Scott replied.

"Bring Eagle One home…I know you can do it." He said in a kind voice.

Scott felt a wave of happiness flow over him, he had always wanted his father to count on him and rely on him and now it seemed like he finally did. Now he would try harder than ever to bring his brother back home…no matter what.

"Wow…" Scott said softly. "Thanks, dad." He smiled as he flipped his morpher closed.

Moments later, loud rumbling was heard from in front of them, it was the city shields lowering.

"There go the shields!" Flynn announced to the car, pointing forward. Once the car made it out of the city, Flynn put it in park. "Well, now we wait." He said, peering into the rear view mirror.

"Keep going." Scott said suddenly.

"What?! Keep going? Are you crazy?" Ziggy exclaimed. "Where are we even going to?" he asked.

"To the Venjix Barricades." Scott answered.


	21. A Fight Against Time Part 1

Inside of the Venjix Barricades, Generals Crunch and Shifter, and Venjix himself all watched the ranger's progress on the screen before them. Snickers came from each of them, pleased that one of their plans was finally coming together. The laughing came to an end when Venjix noticed the ranger's jeep coming to a sudden halt.

"Hmmm…why did they stop?" Crunch asked, pressing one of his long fingers to his chin. "Are they lost?"

"No." Venjix answered, stepping forward. "They can't be."

"Oh, look!" Shifter shouted suddenly, pointing to the screen. On it, showed the blue jeep driving in a different direction. "What are they doing?" he asked his master.

"Monitors show that they're headed straight for our headquarters." Venjix told them. "Snap-Bot!" he yelled into the monitor.

Out on the battlefield, the Snap-Bot stopped running dead in his tracks when he heard Venjix calling to him through his built-in communicator.

"Stop chasing the rangers immediately and come back to the Barricades." Venjix told his minion.

The Snap-Bot answered in garbled speech that to Venjix meant he understood and that he was on the way. The attack-bot did a 180 and headed back to his master's lair.

After his call was completed, Venjix snickered lowly to himself and looked down beside him. There, was one of his prisoners that he made sure wouldn't escape. "Apparently your brother's on his way here, 'Eagle One'. I'll enjoy making him watch the destruction of you and his precious team once and for all!" he shouted at the prisoner.

It was Marcus's worst nightmare. He was trapped her with Venjix, and his little brother was coming here to attempt to rescue him. And whereas he had no qualms about Scott's skills as a ranger, he didn't know how he would react under the circumstances. He had watched with Venjix and his Generals as he took down Dillon and almost Scott as well. He wanted nothing more than to stop all of this, and to show Scott once and for all that he was alive, and he wasn't going down without a fight.

Marcus just glared daggers at the super computer known as Venjix. "You won't be able to take down my brother. He stronger than you think." He sneered.

"Oh, really?" Venjix asked standing. "He sure was ignorant enough to come here two rangers down, and to think that the Snap-Bot was really you, didn't he?" he continued coldly. Marcus just remained quiet and stared t the floor. He didn't know what was going to happen once Scott and the others got here, he just hoped that whatever happened, that they'd all walk away from this alive, or at least Scott. "I thought so." Venjix chuckled. "Don't worry Eagle One, you'll be able to see your brother again…just long enough to say goodbye." He said with a roaring laugh. Marcus just closed his eyes and prayed that Scott and the rangers knew what they were doing.

Upstairs at the Garage, Dillon was up in his room with Summer, who was laying beside him, stroking his forehead gently. Just hoping that at any given moment, Dillon would wake up and snap out of this. Although his eyes were open, he was in no way in this dimension.

_Deep in his subconscious, Dillon woke up on the floor of a dark room. He raised himself up and shook his head. A faint pain was there, and he didn't know if the virus would try to take hold of him again or when. He found himself all alone, surrounded by darkness. Everything was black and hazy, and he didn't see anyone he cared about around. And as dark as this place was, it was just as silent. He felt like he had lost his senses, and couldn't confirm where he was or how he had gotten there. When he made it to his feet he gave the room, or lack thereof, another once over._

"_Where am I?" he asked himself as he looked around. Then a thought hit him: where was Summer? The last thing he remembered was him losing control and lunging at her. "Summer!" he called out at the top of his voice. _

Meanwhile, in reality, Dillon's words reached Summer's ears. "I'm right here." She told him. "Can you hear me?" she asked, still stroking his head in a gentle manner.

_But he couldn't. He couldn't see or hear her anywhere around him. He was trapped in place with no recollection of how or why he was there. But he was soon reminded when he felt a sharp twinge in his left arm, that began to whir softly. He cradled his arm into his chest. This alone was enough to let him know what had happened._

_"The Venjix Virus…" he said softly while holding his arm._

_"Indeed, Black Ranger!" A loud voice yelled, that sounded as if it was coming from all around him, but he saw no one._

_"Where are you?!" Dillon called out into the darkness._

_"I'm everywhere, ranger! And now you're all mine!" the voice continued. "Are you enjoying being lost in time?" the voice mocked him with a hearty laugh._

_"Lost in time?' Dillon asked, trying to remember how he got in this mess. "Flynn must have used his powers when—" he began, until a thought hit him, "Summer!" he realized that he was fighting her when he collapsed and had no idea if she was alright. "Where is she?!" Dillon screamed at the voice._

_"Nowhere." The mysterious voice replied in an eerie voice. "It's only you and me here."_

_"And who are you?!" Dillon shouted, still trying to find the source of the voice._

_"I'm you." The voice answered simply. Then, finally a small light filled this place. And out of the darkness, came Dillon's worst nightmare. "Well…part of you." He continued._

_Dillon knew all to well who this person was. "Dane?" he asked in disbelief._

_"In the flesh." Dane replied with a smirk, presenting himself to the Black Ranger._

_Dane was a part of Dillon's past that he wanted to leave behind. He was nothing more than one of Venjix's schemes gone wrong. When he and Ziggy first became rangers, Venjix captured the two of them, trying to turn them evil to work for his side._

_In the process of turning him evil, the process was interrupted when it was nearly complete, leaving Dillon with part of evil still inside of him, trying to break free at any given moment. This evil side called himself Dane, because he wanted nothing to do with Dillon's good deeds or heart. Dillon tried as hard as he could to fight off this evil side of him, but it eventually became too much, and he was forced to fight his friends._

_But Dillon wasn't going to take things lying down. Once he found out that there was a weapon that could make Dane fade away, he want nothing more than to use it on himself. But Summer felt differently, given the fact that this weapon was a risk to not only Dane, but to Dillon himself._

_So, Summer refused to use the weapon if it risked Dillon's life. But he didn't give her a choice when he used it on himself, draining every last bit of Dane out of him, but severely injuring himself as well. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in the Garage completely exhausted, but free. He had saved himself and his friends, and put Dane behind him forever._

_Until now._

_"I destroyed you!" Dillon called at his evil alter ego._

_"Yes…in the past you got a lucky break, but in this world I'm back, and I won't lose again." Dane said with an evil smirk._

_Dillon hated how much of himself he saw in him. Dane may have had golden eyes, a crouched stance and wild hair, but this is how Dillon viewed himself when the virus took hold of him. He saw nothing more than evil before him._

_Dillon ran at Dane with a harsh fist. Dane just rolled his eyes and deflected the blow with ease. Next, he attempted a jump kick at his alter ego's face, but he just used his arm to take the attack. Now it was Dane's turn, he grabbed Dillon by his left arm tightly. The Black Ranger cried out as he felt his arm being pulled behind him._

_"How does it feel, Dillon?" Dane hissed in his ear. "Being taken over again by an evil you can't control. Hurting the ones you love?"_

_Dillon couldn't take it anymore, he roared in fury and found the strength to pulled Dane over him, and pin him to the ground, grabbing him by his neck._

_"Shut up!" he yelled at Dane. "The next words out of your mouth better be how I get out of here."_

_"There's only one way out." Dane smirked, seemingly unfazed by the grip Dillon had on him. "And that's to face your past….starting with me." And with that, he threw Dillon off of him, rising to his feet._

_Once Dillon found his bearings again, he made it to his feet. "I defeated you once…I can do it again." He told the evil mirage, activating his morpher. "RPM—Get in gear!" he shouted, expecting to be immersed in his ranger powers, but nothing happened._

_"Sorry, bro." Dane began as he starting walking around the room. "Your little morpher won't work in here."_

_Dillon just glared at Dane angrily and lowered his wrist. "I don't need a morpher to defeat you." He told him._

_"Let's see." Dane retaliated, lunging at the Black Ranger. He went at him with a flurry of punches, which Dillon blocked as quickly as he could. When Dane saw that he was getting nowhere, he went for a sweep kick that Dillon jumped to avoid. Dillon answered with an attempted punch to the head but Dane smacked his hand away. The Black Ranger then tried a sweep kick of his own, that Dane avoided by springing upward._

_Dane could see that Dillon was getting tired, so he decided to kick things up a notch, he grabbed Dillon's injured arm once more, and flipped him so that Dillon would land on his back. As he tried to get up from the floor, he noticed Dane twirling a familiar weapon in his hands._

_"Remember this?" Dane asked, showing the strange rod-like weapon to Dillon._

_"It's a CET." Dillon answered simply._

_"And here I thought you had memory issues." Dane snickered, jabbing the clawed weapon into Dillon's infected arm, causing him to scream in anguish even in reality. "Feel familiar, Dillon?!" Dane screamed at him as he watched him squirm. "Because I remember it perfectly! Only this time, you'll be the one that fades away!!"_

_"You seem to be forgetting something, Dane." Dillon said though the pain he felt. "You're not the only one that's grown stronger!" he shouted, kicking Dane in the stomach, causing him to be freed from the CET as it hurled into the air. Dillon caught it in his hands. He rose to his feet, looking at Dane on the ground, aiming the CET at him. "This ought to keep you away for good." He said lowly, jabbing the CET mercilessly into Dane's side._

_He writhed on the floor and could feel himself slipping away. "You may have been able to defeat me again, Dillon, but you won't stand a chance against the others!!" Dane screamed, fading away into nothing but black smoke._

_Dillon took a moment to catch his breath, glaring at the CET, the throwing it away. He sat down and held his arm, reflecting on Dane's final words. "Others?" he mumbled softly to himself. "Who's next?"_

_"That'd be me." A familiar voice responded. When Dillon turned around, he couldn't believe who he saw there._

_"Oh no…" he said softly._


	22. Barricade Barging

"The Venjix Barricades?! Are you mad?!" Flynn shouted from behind the wheel. Flynn never considered himself to be afraid of a challenge, but he also wasn't the type to just walk straight into an ambush unprepared. Not that he doubted Scott's leader skills, but barging into the Venjix barricades seemed a little reckless.

"We can't go there, with Venjix's Grinders around we'd be way outnumbered." Taryn added. She wanted to save all of the prisoners, but she didn't want to lose her friends as well. And she didn't know how useful she'd be with one of her arms out of commission.

"I know this sounds crazy, but we _have_ to save all of the prisoners that Venjix is holding captive. Dillon did his part, now it's time for us to do ours." The Red Ranger told his team.

"What do you expect we do once we get there?" Ziggy asked, hoping through his nervous tone he wasn't conveying the intense fear he was feeling.

"Let the Snap-Bot capture me." Scott said, obviously a plan on his mind.

"What?! That's ludicrous! Why would you do that?!" Ziggy exclaimed.

"Because once Venjix captures me, he'll take me to where he takes all of the prisoners and that'll give me a chance to save them." Scott explained to them. "You guys can handle Venjix and his cronies until I do."

"No. It's too dangerous." Flynn said firmly. He still felt pangs of guilt from watching Dillon drop right before his eyes, he wasn't about to watch the same happen to Scott.

"I'm team leader, Flynn, and what I say goes." Scott reminded him. He realized that all of this was because his friends cared about him, and they didn't want him to end up in trouble like Dillon was, but this was something he had to do, for the others, and for himself. "I have to save my brother…if he's still alive, as well as everyone else." He continued, hanging his head, dreading the thought that maybe Marcus was really dead, and all of this was just a cruel plan Venjix cooked up. "Edward and Eva should know what I mean, they lost Dillon and Taryn."

Upon hearing this, Edward let out a hard sigh. "He's got a point. If there was anything I could do to save my family, God knows I would." He told them. He couldn't help thinking about his son back at the Garage and his mind, who knows where, and how Taryn was working for Venjix not too long ago, wishing that he hadn't been captured so that he could have had a hand in saving her, and that there was something he could do to save Dillon.

"So would I." Eva replied softly.

Hearing this, Flynn sighed and looked at the road ahead, knowing the danger that lurked there. "You're sure you want to do this?" he asked to make sure.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Scott answered, the pain so clear in his eyes. He missed Marcus so much, and couldn't imagine what Venjix was doing to him and the others, and he was going to stop him no matter what.

"Fine." Flynn answered, turning the engine over again, starting the car. "Off to the Venjix Barricades we go then."

Suddenly, Doctor K's voice came through the ranger's morphers. "That's a negative, Ranger Blue. Do not go to the Venjix Barricades. I repeat: Do _not _go to the Venjix Barricades. You are not properly equipped to do so at this time." She warned them.

"We have to go, Doc K, there are innocent lives at stake!" Scott jumped in.

"Those 'innocent lives' won't have anyone to protect them if the only available rangers are destroyed." The doctor informed him. "And in addition to the perilous danger you and Rangers Blue and Green would be facing, you would have no way to get back to Corinth once you save the prisoners."

"We'll find a way." Scott told her. "I'm sorry, Doctor K, this is just something that we have to do. I hope you understand."

"I see." Doctor K replied with disappointment in her voice. Little did the others know, it wasn't the fact that Scott was disobeying her that bothered her, it was the fact that he was walking right into a trap, and she didn't want to lose him. She finally found it in her to trust someone and to have them ripped away so quickly would be too much for her to bear. "Be careful. I won't be able to contact you once your inside."

"Got it." Scott answered softly. "Thank you."

"Best of luck. See you soon." She replied as she removed herself from the line. She backed her chair away from her desk sadly as she shifted her gaze over to the chambers that held the ranger suits. She couldn't help but find herself staring at the one in red. "Or at least I hope I do." She said quietly to herself.

Not too far away, Venjix watched closely as he saw the ranger's vehicle drawing closer and closer to his barricades. "They're almost here." He told his generals in a sneer. "Send out the drones!" he ordered them.

"Right away, your Venjixness!" Crunch answered nervously as he bumbled his way over to a large machine, pressing a large red button.

"The rangers wanted an ambush? We're going to give them one." Venjix said lowly, pleased that he had the rangers right where he wanted them.

In the jeep, Flynn struggled to see through all of the dust and sand that was swirling all around the place. "We're approaching the Venjix Barricades." The Blue Ranger announced to the car.

Ziggy's eyes widened when he saw something worrisome before him. "And apparently Venjix is approaching _us_!" he cried, pointing onward. There, the team saw about twenty of Venjix's attack drones coming right for them.

"Venjix attack drones!" Taryn yelled upon seeing them coming closer.

"Wh-what do we do?" A nervous Eva asked the one's around her.

"Only one thing comes to mind…" Flynn said, gripping the wheel tightly, "hold on, folks!" he yelled, shifting the car into a higher gear, making it run at about twice the speed, causing everyone in the vehicle to thrust forward. As they grew closer to the barricades, dodging laser fire from the drones, Scott noticed something.

"Look!" he exclaimed, "The doors are closing!"

"We'll never make it! Not with these drones right on top of us!" Taryn cried.

"Taryn, this just shows you've never driven with _me_ before," Flynn assured her, looking briefly back at her, trying to calm her. Suddenly, he began to make the jeep go even faster. Things were heating up. The drones continued to fire mercilessly at the heroes, and the barricades were closing fast. But Flynn speeded on.

"It's too tight, we have to turn back!" Ziggy yelled, covering his face in horror.

"Everyone hang on!" Flynn screamed. Then he skidded the car, which made it slide through the barricades at the last possible second. Still going strong, the car tipped on its side and the doors closed with a loud clang behind them. And when the car finally came to s stop, it flipped back into its upright position. Everyone In the car was breathing heavily, trying to compose themselves, trying to fathom what had just happened.

"Is everyone alright?" Edward asked them, looking around to everyone. Everyone seemed to be fine for the most part, except Scott had a small gash on the left side of his forehead.

"Scott, you're bleeding." Eva told him.

Scott reached his hand to his head and winced when he felt the cut. "I'm alright. I've been through worse." He assured her.

"Take this." Eva said sweetly, ripping a small portion of her dress off and handing it to the Red Ranger. "It'll stop the bleeding."

"Thanks, Eva." Scott replied, placing the cloth against his wound.

"Sorry about that." Flynn apologized.

"I'm not." Scott said, opening the door with his free hand and hoping out. "You got us here." After he was out of the car, Taryn, Flynn, Ziggy and the Prestons followed. It was hard to see too far ahead due to all of the dust and sand flying about. "Be careful." Scott warned them. "From now on we won't be able to tell who's real or an imposter."

Seconds later, a familiar voice came from behind the team. "Ooh, nothing gets by you, Red Ranger." The voice said with a wicked chuckle. And when the rangers turned to see the origin of the voice, they saw none other than an exact replica of Ranger Series Red. "Or should I say…me." The Snap-Bot teased, showing off his copying skills by demorphing into a copy of Scott in his civilian form.

"No way!" Ziggy exclaimed, pointing at the bot. "It's—"

"A replica of Scott." Flynn finished for him.

"How did he get your picture?" Taryn asked in confusion.

"Funny you should ask that." The Snap-Bot laughed as he began to pace back and forth as he spoke. "When little Red Ranger Hood over there thought that I was his brother. It gave me a perfect opportunity to snag the perfect picture I needed."

"Why did you clone me?" Scott asked, shaking his head. "Why not Venjix or one of his stooges?"

"Good question!" the Snap-Bot replied with a small, mocking clap. "The reason I didn't clone one of them is for the simple fact that when I actually _do_ get around to destroying your brother, I want him to think that it was by the hand of his own brother.

Scott balled his fists upon hearing the clone's threats. "Tell me where my brother is NOW!" he screamed. He was far past the end of his rope and was in no mood to play games. He didn't know if his brother was really alive or if this was some cruel scheme. He ran at the attack-bot and began throwing punch after punch at him. The Snap-Bot responded by grabbing Scott's arm and yanking it behind him. Scott cried out from the force he felt from his opponent.

"Don't worry, Red. You'll see your brother again…in the after life!" the imposter yelled in his ear.

"Enough of this!" Flynn chimed in while equipping his Turbo Cannon. "Fire!" he screamed, firing a blast that nailed the Snap-Bot, but freed Scott. He rubbed his arm to ease the pain the monster had inflicted upon him. Next thing he knew, his friends were right beside him.

"Are you okay, Scott?" Ziggy asked, placing a friendly hand on Scott's shoulder.

"Yeah, I just want to grind this poser into fine powder." Scott replied with fury in his voice. "You guys ready?" he asked his team, as he and the other rangers al activated their morphers.

"Ready!" the Blue and Green Rangers called out in response.

"RPM—Get in gear!" the three yelled in unison, throwing them into their ranger forms.

"I might as well join in on the fun!" the Snap-Bot insisted, morphing back into his Red Ranger imposter form. "Let's do this!" he shouted. And with that, the battle was on.


	23. A Fight Against Time Part 2

Summer couldn't take her eyes off of him. She hated just sitting here when she had no idea where Dillon's mind was. It bothered her that he seemed so close, yet so far away. He never brought his gaze to her, he just stared onward into nothingness. It seemed to her that he was trapped in some sort of nightmare that she couldn't bring him out of. She just ran her hand over his forehead, noticing that he was running a fever and was sweating. Although he seemed to be fine for the moment, she didn't want to take any chances. She quickly ran to the bathroom and grabbed a white cloth from the closet, running cold water all over it.

When she made it back into the room, she saw that Dillon was jarring about, showing that he was in some sort of distress. "Dillon…" she exclaimed, running over to him, placing the cloth on his head. "You have to come out of this." She told him sadly, dabbing the wet rag on his head and neck.

_Dillon looked the figure before him in the dimly lit room. He couldn't believe who he saw before him. "Taryn?" Dillon asked in confusion. _

"Taryn?" Summer asked when she heard him speak again. "She's with Flynn and the others." She said to herself. She may not have known what it was Dillon was hallucinating about, but she now knew who.

_The woman known as Taryn walked further into the light so the Black Ranger could get a better view of her. There she was, dressed head to toe in her maroon uniform, evil smirk on her face with her arms folded._

"_The name's Tenaya 7 to you, Ranger Black." She answered coldly. "Man, when you lost your memory you sure lost it good." She continued, walking forward. "Maybe that'll make destroying you all the more simple." She smirked again, pulling out a small blaster._

"_You're my sister, Taryn." Dillon told her. "I'm not going to fight you."_

"_Your sister?" Tenaya laughed. "You really haven't grasped the concept of this world yet, have you?" she asked in snide. "You already fought your dark side, now it's time to fight Taryn's." Dillon didn't answer to her threats, he just turned his gaze to the floor. "What's the matter, 'bro'?" Tenaya asked, getting into his face. "Can't fight someone who resembles sister dearest?"_

"_You're not my sister. Taryn's good now, all you are is a mirage." Dillon told her, still unable to look her in the eye._

"_A mirage?" Tenaya asked, shooting Dillon in the left arm with her blaster, causing him to cry out. "Real enough for you?" she asked coldly. Seconds later, she noticed Dillon still couldn't bring himself to look her in the face. "It really bothers you that I look like her, doesn't it?" she asked, clearly enjoying how much he hated all of this. Dillon still didn't answer. It was then that she took a few steps back. "Then let's make this interesting." She said, transforming herself into civilian clothes so she resembled Taryn completely. She wore a maroon sundress with her hair down. Something about her looked softer, it was like Taryn's innocence leapt onto her face but behind it the evil was there. _

_Dillon's eyes widened when he brought himself to look at her._

"_Oh, what's the matter, big brother? Can't bring yourself to look at your sister?" she taunted, walking up to Dillon, grabbing his infected arm, making him wince. "Come on, Dillon, why didn't you save me? You let Venjix turn me into one of his generals! I counted on you!" she yelled, trying to torment him. Picking on the spot he felt terrible about. He never completely forgave himself for everything that happened with Taryn, and hearing this made it all the more worse. The grip she had on his arm as agonizing, but he still couldn't bring himself to harm her._

"I can't hurt you." He said aloud. "You're my sister."

"Sister?" Summer said softly. She could tell from his breathing and tenseness that something was tormenting him, and she could only guess what was going on. She got close to his face and stroked his head once more. "I don't know if you can hear me, Dillon, but that isn't Taryn! She safe with the others."

_Deep in Dillon's subconscious, Summer's words reached him._

"_That's not Taryn! She's not real!" he heard Summer call to him._

"_Summer?" he said softly to himself. He heard her voice so clearly, but couldn't see her. Following what she said, he looked at Tenaya, knowing now who she truly was._

"_So you're really not going to fight your sister?" Tenaya taunted at him._

"_Nope." Dillon answered simply, activating his invincibility shield, causing her to go flying backwards, freeing his arm from her grip. He rubbed his arm and cradled it close to him. He noticed that her blaster had fallen to the floor, so he quickly scooped it up. He aimed it at the attack-bot._

"_Dillon, what're you doing?!" Tenaya cried. "You'd destroy your own sister?!"  
_

"_You're not my sister. My sister's name is Taryn Preston, and you…" he began, smirking at her himself, "…you're history." He said, beginning to pull the trigger. But before he could, he felt Tenaya sweep kick his legs from underneath him. He fell to the ground and his blaster landed next to him. Tenaya made her way back to her feet and pulled out another blaster from behind her. When he saw this, Dillon quickly grabbed the blaster next to him._

"_You're not the only one with a blaster, Ranger Black." Tenaya taunted as she watched her opponent make it to his feet. "Think you can pull the trigger?"_

_Dillon just let out a low chuckle and smirked, "I know I can." He said simply. And at that moment, both opponents fired their weapons. Smoke that was generated from the blast filled the room. When the smoke cleared, Dillon was on one knee, holding his arm and panting softly while Tenaya remained on her feet. After a brief moment, Tenaya let out a whimper and fell to the floor. Dillon rose to his feet triumphantly and walked over to his fallen opponent. _

"_You still didn't save her." Tenaya said through her teeth._

"_You're wrong." Dillon told her, looking down at her, "I saved her from you."_

_After a scream of fury from Tenaya 7, she , like Dane disappeared into nothing more than black dust._

It was at that moment Summer felt the tension leave Dillon's hand. His grip on her released and his breathing once again was steady. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled a small smile. She knew that making through this challenge would bring him one step closer to coming back to her. She brought herself closer to his face and petted his hair back.

"You can do this, Dillon." She told him. "I'm right there with you." She took his hands in hers and kissed them gently.

_Dillon suddenly felt a soft warmth in his hands. He knew this was none other than Summer's touch, and that she, in one way or another, was right there with him. Dillon brought his hand to his face and balled it gently._

"_I'm coming, Summer." He said lowly. "Just wait a little longer."_

_Just when he finally felt a moment of reprieve, he heard a low thudding coming from behind him. He turned with a leer to face his next opponent. He already knew who it was, and he was ready._


	24. A Red Ranger Duel

**A/N: I apologize for how scattered my chapters have been lately and how short they've been, I have had a lot going on recently and have been very busy. I thank you for taking the time to read my story, and everything should be back to normal very soon. ******

The battle was on between the rangers and the Snap-Bot. The attack-bot brought an army of Grinders by his side, equal to the number of ranger there were so that the battle would be even.

"Let's do this." Scott said with determination, as his team darted at the Grinders. Scott knew that it was his duty to take on the Snap-Bot and he had no problem with that. He pulled out his Street Saber and ran at the monster. The Red Ranger copy pulled out his Street Saber as well, and the sabers met with a clang. "Release my brother and all of the other prisoners you've captured!" Scott screamed at his opponent while he parried his sword.

"Release them?!" the poser shouted in disgust, "You're going to _join_ them!!" With his words came to harsh saber blows to Scott's torso. Whereas this may have hurt him before, he was too fueled by rage to take this lying down. His pain only pushed him further to attack the Snap-Bot. He blocked the next blow with ease.

"I'm going to make you pay for all you've done!" Scott screamed. "My brother, Dillon, and all of the innocent people you've hurt!" he yelled on. His adrenaline was going so fast that he pinned the Snap-Bot to the ground, ready to destroy him once and for all.

"Go ahead!" the Snap-Bot baited him, "Do it! But can you do it when I look like this?" he asked, transforming the way he looked into Marcus once again. This took Scott off guard, he wanted nothing more than to destroy this menace, but when he looked like his late brother, that was a tough hurdle to jump.

"Change back!!" Scott ordered him.

"What's the matter, little brother?" the Snap-Bot asked in Marcus's voice. "Wanna live forever?"

Hearing these words shook Scott to his very core. This was the last clear thing that his brother had said to him, and it was the phrase he heard over and over in his head when he thought about him. Inside his helmet, a tear fell down Scott's cheek. He never felt more enraged. He screamed at the top of his lungs and activated his burst attack, making an explosion erupt.

When the other rangers heard the blast, they immediately turned their attention to the Red Ranger.

"No!!" Flynn cried as he kept Grinders off of him. "Scott!!"

"What happened?!" Ziggy cried. "Where is he?!" The rangers and the Prestons fought off the last bit of Grinders and all regrouped together—except Scott.

"Are you all okay?" Flynn asked somberly, not knowing if his best friend was alive or dead.

"Yes, we're fine." Taryn answered. "But where's Scott?" she asked, looking around.

Flynn hung his head for a moment until he heard Ziggy gasp. "There he is!" the Green Ranger shouted, pointing forward. It was there that they saw a Red Ranger walking towards them.

"Are we sure that's Scott?" Flynn asked.

"And not the Snap-Bot?" Eva chimed in. The others watched until the mysterious being stopped in front of them.

"Who are you?" Flynn asked.

Then the being demorphed and there stood Scott, cut and all. "You're fearless leader." Scott said with a smile. Then all of the team ran up to Scott and hugged him tightly. Waves of relief fell over them when they knew that it was their friend that survived and not the Snap-Bot.

"So you defeated me—big deal!" the Snap-Bot's voice yelled from behind them. He was lying on the ground, clearly too injured to do anything. "I can still warn Venjix about your impending arrival!" he said with a maniacal laugh.

"Let's end this freak's cloning days once and for all." Scott said smoothly, as he and his other ranger pals equipped their weapons and aimed them at the Snap-Bot.

"Foolish rangers!" the Snap-Bot yelled, standing, "I can copy your weapons, have you forgotten?!" And just as the Snap-Bot went to take a picture to copy their weapons, it was much to his consternation that nothing happened. He looked down to see that his camera lenses was broken and cracked. "What?! You ruined my lenses! You'll pay for this!!"

"Not if we get you first." Scott said slyly. "Ready guys?" he asked, looking to Flynn and Ziggy.

"You know it!" Flynn responded.

"Yeah, let's fry this freak!" Ziggy added, pounding two fists together. Then the three fired their weapons simultaneously, nailing the Snap-Bot, turning him into nothing more than scrap metal.

Scott laughed as he watched the pieces fly about. "Well, that takes care of that!" he said proudly, resting his saber on his shoulder.

"Now to save those people." Flynn said.

"But…how?" Taryn asked them.

"I may know a way…" Edward told them mischievously.


	25. A Fight Against Time Part 3

In the Venjix lair, the super computer found himself growing incredibly impatient. He was sick of waiting for the rangers to make their arrival so he could destroy them, and didn't want to continue to wait a moment longer. He rose from his throne in an angry rage.

"Where is the Snap-Bot?" he demanded from his underlings. "Has he succeeded in defeating the rangers yet?" he shouted.

"I-I'm not sure, I'll check on it straight away!" Shifter replied nervously as he made his way to the exit. When he made it there, a person resembling the Red Ranger met him there, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.

"That won't be necessary." The Red Ranger told them. "I've already handled that."

"Really?" Venjix asked hesitantly, looking at the red helmet in front of him in an untrusting way. "You've captured _all_ the rangers…"

"And locked them in the dungeon as per your orders." The Red Ranger finished for him.

"General Shifter!" Venjix called out.

"Yes, Master Venjix?" the general responded with a bow of honor.

"Make your way to the dungeon and make sure what the 'Snap-Bot' says is in fact true." Venjix ordered. As much as he wanted to believe that one of his plans had gone the way it was supposed to, he couldn't help but think that something didn't smell right.

"Right away, sir." Shifter responded with another bow, making his way out of the room, this time, not stopped by the Red Ranger. Venjix then turned his attention to the one he couldn't yet bring himself to trust.

"Is there any other requests you have for me…Lord Venjix?" the ranger in red asked, standing at attention.

"Let's just make sure that you've completed your first task, then we'll move on to the next orders of business." Venjix said, looking the ranger over.

"Whatever you say…master." the Red Ranger said with what sounded like a smirk. As far as he was concerned, he had Venjix right where he wanted him, he trusted him enough to make his plans a reality.

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_Dillon felt himself grow nervous when he heard the thudding behind him suddenly cease. He knew that his next challenge was waiting--right behind him. When he turned, there he was, towering height and all, the Silver Swordsman. Somehow, he seemed even bigger than the last time he fought him, which seemed impossible. Dillon flinched when he saw the Swordsman reach for his sword and smash it into the ground, causing the environment around them to begin to crumble. The Black Ranger managed to stay on his feet when all of the terrible memories of the Swordsman came flashing back._

"It's you." Dillon said aloud, distress in his eyes.

"Who, Dillon?" Summer asked, stroking his head gently, trying to give him some sense of calm.

_But Dillon was in too deep of this dream now, Summer's words didn't reach him. All he could see was the knight in silver and the horrible memories that came with it._

_The Silver Swordsman was the whole reason that Dillon and Taryn were turned into machines in the first place. They were working for their parents when the Venjix attacks started and it was their job to keep everyone safe from the attacks. One day, Venjix sent out the Silver Swordsman to do his bidding and he brought destruction everywhere he went. During one of his attacks, he aimed at a little girl. When Dillon caught wind of this, he ran to protect her, taking a devastating attack himself, rendering him unconscious. When Taryn went to aide him, she got caught in attack as well, leaving her the same way._

_It was Venjix's plan to restore all of their injuries with robotics and have them work for him in return. When Venjix came to get Taryn to convert him to his side, Dillon tried to stop him, getting him casted away from the barricades, and Taryn to become Tenaya 7. _

_After some struggles and memories, Taryn came to realize that he place was with her brother and the rangers, so she joined them to try and bring the Silver Swordsman down. In the process, Dillon was turned evil by him taking an attack for Summer and it was now up to Taryn to bring her brother back to the side of good._

_It all became clear to Dillon when he remembered who his friends and family were and he came back to the good side. Their celebration was cut short however when he saw that Taryn was about to be annihilated by the Silver Swordsman. Thinking on his instincts, he leapt in front of Taryn, taking the deathly attack for her, but destroying the Swordsman in the process._

_Dillon had fallen protecting his sister, and was pronounced as dead. Just when everything seemed to be falling apart, Taryn remembered a disk that she stole from Venjix's lair that could restore Dillon completely. Once back at the Garage, the disk was inserted and Dillon was revived. Taryn had Dillon, Dillon had Summer and all was well._

_That's why this was such a harsh blow to Dillon that he had returned. _

_Dillon glared at his opponent for any sudden movements. He watched as the Silver Swordsman pointed towards his Dillon's wrist, which threw him a little. When the Black Ranger looked down at his wrist, he saw his morpher. It was obvious that this metal menace wanted a battle with him, and he wanted it to be a fair match, survival of the fittest. _

"_My morpher?" Dillon thought to himself. He then looked from his morpher to the Silver Swordsman, a smirk crossing his face. "You're going to regret that." he told him mischievously. Then, Dillon raised his arm and activated his morpher. "RPM--get in gear!" he cried, his ranger powers consuming him. "You may have defeated me in the past," he told him, "but nothing is going to stop me from getting home!"_

_With that, the Swordsman yanked his sword from the ground and held it in an offensive position. His eyes began to glow a sharp red, revealing his harsh intentions. Dillon peered at the white diamond in the center of the bot's chest, knowing that piercing him here was the only way to destroy him._

"_Just aim for the diamond…" Dillon told himself. "Rocket Blaster!" he shouted, pulling out his large black shooter. He fired mercilessly at his opponent, who, in turn, twirled his sword to deflect the beams right back at Dillon. The beams pummeled Dillon in the chest, sending him to the ground. "Nitro Sword!" he yelled painfully from the ground, pulling out his sword, rising slowly to his feet. With his sword drawn, he bolted his way to the Silver Swordsman._

_He swung rapidly at the beast who deflected each swipe with perfect precision. The rapid swinging quickly made Dillon's arms grow tired. He needed some way to retaliate--and fast. _

"_Nitro Blaster!" he screamed, now holding both the blaster and the sword in each hand. He kept attempting to ward off the Silver Swordsman with his sword while firing the blaster at him, desperately trying to hit the diamond and finish this. But the Swordsman just kept charging forth, making Dillon's endeavors seem like child's play. _

_Thinking on his feet, Dillon used his leg breaks to spin around and regain his footing for a better angle, firing his blaster as fast as his fingers would allow. He had to keep moving backwards so the Swordsman didn't run over him, but he soon felt his back hit a wall. He froze instantly, allowing the Silver Swordsman to smack the blaster and sword from his hands._

_Doing anything he could, Dillon went to punch the bot in the face, but found his arm grabbed to stop him. This was all too familiar to him. His opponent had a grip on him that he couldn't break free from. He knew what was coming next, and like clockwork, the man in silver made his eyes fade to white._

_As Dillon struggled to break free, wanting nothing to do with being evil again, he felt his ranger powers leave him. His suit was out of power, making it all the more difficult ro resist his grip. He immediately turned his head to avoid those horrible white eyes, but an unknown force drew his head in the other direction, moving closer and closer to the Swordsman. He felt his eyes flickering to white, and evil filling his body. He was trapped--there was no way out this time._


	26. Captive Confrontation

When Shifter entered the prison in the Barricades, he observed all of the captives he and Venjix had collected over the past few months. Much to his surprise, he found Edward and Eva back there, as well as Ziggy, Flynn and Taryn.

"Oh." Shifter said with surprise. "I guess that Snap-Bot was telling the truth after all." after a hearty laugh, he walked over to the wall Edward and Eva were sitting against. "Subjects D45 and D46, we meet again." he said with a sneer. He then noticed Taryn in his peripheral vision. "And Subject D43, or 'Tenaya 7' has graced us with her presence once again."

"Leave her alone." Ziggy yelled standing. "We're going to get out of here one way or another you weird robot…thing." he told him, hoping that the fear he felt didn't show through his face.

Shifter just laughed because there was nothing any of them could so. Their hands were chained to the wall to keep them from morphing or attacking for that matter. All they could to was just to submit to Shifter's taunts.

"We're going to get out of here, and we are going to save my brother and everyone else you've hurt." Taryn told him, glaring daggers at his face.

"You're brother?" Shifter asked with surprise. "You're still clinging to that? I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your brother is gone…forever."

"If any part of that is true, you're going to wish you never met me." Edward said with a scowl.

"Oh really? And what are you going to do?" Shifter asked.

Little did Shifter realize, he left his back to Ziggy and Flynn, which was a big mistake.

"You ready, mate?" Flynn whispered to the Green Ranger.

"Yeah…I'm ready." Ziggy answered nervously, thinking over and over about how what he was about to do couldn't fail. And when Shifter wasn't watching, Flynn was able to reach his hand over to Ziggy's morpher and hit a button, making him teleport behind General Shifter.

"You're trapped 'Navy SEAL' Preston, there's nothing you can do." Shifter boasted.

"There's always this." Ziggy answered from behind him, punching him hard in the head. Shifter staggered, giving Ziggy a chance to pull out his Turbo Axe. He slashed all of the prisoner's chains from the wall, freeing every one of them. Immediately the team ran to help the other prisoners to make sure they were okay.

When Shifter made it to his feet, he roared in fury. "I'll get you for this!" he screamed at them. "I'm alerting Master Venjix right away!" he yelled, beginning to run out of the room. But Flynn met him at the door, cutting him off.

"Going somewhere?" Flynn asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Out of my way, Ranger Blue!" Shifter demanded.

"Hmmm…I'm thinking…no." Flynn answered mockingly. "Turbo Cannon!" he called out, pulling out his large, blue cannon.

"Uh-oh…" Shifter mumbled nervously.

"Fire!!" Flynn screamed, nailing Shifter right in the torso. The attack bot fell into nothing more than scrap metal. "Get the prisoners out of here!" He told the others. Take any injuries to the Corinth City Hospital!" he said.

"We're on it!" Edward and Eva answered in unison. Then they and Taryn escorted all of the prisoners over to the exit and to safety. But while they were fighting and helping the captives, they failed to notice that General Crunch was watching the whole thing from the doorway. When he heard al that he needed, he ran to go and tell his boss everything.

When the last prisoner was out, all that remained in the dungeon was Flynn and Ziggy, who regrouped with one another.

"What do we do now?" Ziggy asked the Blue Ranger.

"Help our fearless leader." Flynn answered with determination.

"Right, you lead, I'll follow." Ziggy insisted, then the two pressed on.


	27. Red Ranger Reasoning

Meanwhile, Venjix was keeping a keen eye on the one whom he thought was the attack-bot. He wasn't going to let him make a move until Shifter came back with the okay that the team had in fact been captured. The Red Ranger just stood there with confidence, not letting Venjix's surveillance ail him. But he couldn't help but look to the prisoner next to Venjix, who looked to be frightened. He know in an instant who it was--it was Marcus.

He wanted to run to him, hug him, finally be reunited with the brother he thought he had lost, but that wasn't an option right now, he wasn't going to risk this mission, not when they were so close to victory. He had to let Venjix believe that he was the Snap-Bot. Nothing could go wrong, it just couldn't.

"Snap-Bot?" he heard Venjix call, snapping him out of his thoughts. "If you are who you say you are, why don't you demorph for me?" he asked, thinking he finally had the ranger.

Scott felt his heart stop.

"Why?" Scott asked nervously, "What would that matter?" he knew that if he demporhed, he'd be caught. The cut on his head would be a dead give away. Whereas the Snap-Bot could copy any image to himself, once he was copied, it couldn't be altered in any way. And the last time Venjix saw the Snap-Bot, he was flawless, no cuts, not bruises--nothing.

"I…want to see something." Venjix went on slowly, looking the ranger head to toe.

Scott gulped, trying to think of one last way out of this, but was coming up dry. "Fine." he answered gruffly. So he turned his back to Venjix, and demorphed himself. "There. Happy?" Scott asked with irritation.

"Turn around." Venjix demanded in an eerie voice..

Scott knew he was caught if Venjix saw the gash on his head. When he turned, he had to attack, but Marcus being right next to him made him a target as well. Just when he seemed stuck, he remembered something. He placed his hand beside him showing two fingers. This, to Scott and Marcus, was a code. Whenever Marcus was going to ambush, he'd reveal a one with his fingers, and Scott a two. Showing this to Marcus gave him the silent heads up he needed.

In a second, Marcus rolled over to the side. "What are you doing?!" Venjix asked in fury.

"Burst attack!!" Scott screamed, hurling a huge surge of energy Venjix's way. The walls shook roughly and Venjix fought to keep his balance. Scott immediately ran to Marcus and grabbed him.

"How _dare _you deceive me!!" Venjix roared at the brothers. "I'm Venjix! I cannot be destroyed!" At that moment, he began to fire powerful surges all around the room. Scott threw himself over Marcus trying to protect him from Venjix's wrath.

"Hang on, Marcus!" he shouted to his brother. All Marcus could do was look at him in awe, he never knew that his little brother could be so powerful.

A few seconds later, Flynn and Ziggy entered the room.

"Scott! What's going on here?!" Flynn shouted over the noise.

"No time to explain! We have to get out of here and now!" Scott shouted back. All he could focus on in this moment, was keeping Marcus safe. He wasn't going to lose him again this easily, it was hard enough the first time.

"I'm game for getting out of here!" Ziggy told his friends, nervously looking around.

Scott helped Marcus to his feet and the two began to run out of the base. But a few steps in, Marcus fell to the ground with a pained cry.

"Marcus!" Scott exclaimed as he ran to help him up. "What is it? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Something fell on my leg before. I can't move it." Marcus said painfully, grabbing his leg.

"Then you'll use me as leverage, we have to move!" Scott told him, throwing Marcus's arm around him, helping him limp to the exit. When the team finally made it outside, they immediately ran to Flynn's jeep and piled inside. But when he turned the key to start it, nothing happened.

"Damn it!" Flynn yelled, pounding the wheel.

"Where is everyone?" Scott asked them.

"Taking the prisoners to safety." Ziggy answered, "I guess we're stuck here."

"What do we do? My brother needs help!" Scott shouted at Ziggy. He didn't mean to take his hostilities out on the Green Ranger, he was just so worried about his brother that nothing else in this moment mattered.

Suddenly, a loud car horn sounded from beside them. When they looked out the window, there they saw the Go-Onger. The window rolled down and there was a familiar face.

"Need a ride?" the driver asked.

"Dad?" Scott asked in disbelief.

"Hurry! Get in!" he ordered them. And the team did just that.


	28. The Fight Against Time Concludes

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_Dillon felt himself flowing over to the side of evil. His eyes kept transitioning from brown_ _white. The pain he felt in his head was numbing. He fought as hard as his body would let him to not go over to the dark side, but the Silver Swordsman was more powerful now than ever. He felt himself fading._

Summer felt the grip Dillon had on her hand weakening, like he was losing himself to something. She had no idea if he could hear her where he was, but it was all she had to do. "Come on, Dillon! You can fight this! You've done it once before, you can do it again! Please!" she pleaded to him.

_Although all Dillon felt in his mind was searing pain at the moment, he felt something soothing at the same time, Summer's voice._

"_Summer?" he said softly, feeling somewhat relieved that he heard someone he loved. He was fighting off that darkness he was so afraid would consume him. With each word she spoke, he felt more content. _

_But when he thought he was freed, the Swordsman upped his power, trying his hardest to make Dillon come to the side he wanted him on. He pinned Dillon hard to the wall, forcing him to look him in the eyes. And just like that, he felt the evil once more coming back._

"_Keep talking to me." he said softly in both dimensions._

It was at that moment that Summer knew for sure that he could hear her, and it was working. "Come back to me, Dillon. I can't imagine my life without you." she told him, a tear falling down one of her cheeks.

_Her words reached Dillon's ears, giving him all the strength he had all along, and enough to heave the Silver Swordsman off of him._

"_Nitro Sword!" he screamed, holding the weapon tightly in his hands, aiming it at the Silver Swordsman. _

_Stunned at the Black Ranger's sudden burst of strength, he Swordsman regained is balance. And his eyes began to glow a deep crimson color indicating his fury. He, in turn, lifted up his sword and aimed it at Dillon. It was a standoff. Both watched one another carefully, waiting for the other to make their move. When the Silver Swordsman went to strike around Dillon's legs, he deflected it with his saber. But the Swordsman wasn't stupid, this left Dillon' s right side open. Using a small amount of force, he pressed against it, causing him to cry out. He felt the sword pressing closer to him harder and harder. When it finally stopped, he, in both dimensions, grabbed his side._

Seeing Dillon suddenly grab his side concerned Summer. She looked at the distress and pain in his face, wanting to do something--anything for him to ease it. She gently moved Dillon's hand from his side, and lifted his shirt to see what was ailing him.

And she saw it.

She knew that Dillon had been defeated by the Silver Swordsman in the past, but she had no idea how. He never wanted to talk about that day, it was a part of his past he was happy that he didn't remember. But what she saw when she lifted her shirt, made her let out a faint gasp. He had a large scar that look around four inches in size, maybe longer. She couldn't believe that he had survived something so horrible. She had been told that Taryn tended to the wound so it wouldn't be worse, but Dillon would have that constant reminder that he was defeated by the Silver Swordsman. She ran her fingers along the scar gently, just imaging what getting a scar like that must have been like. She looked down at her hero and was not going to let history repeat itself, so she got close to his head, taking in her hands.

"Dillon, Dillon listen to me." she told him in pleas, "I need you. You're…apart of me. I can't live without you, so you have to make it through this. Not just for me, but for everyone."

_Dillon heard every word Summer was speaking. A familiar warmth filled his heart, just knowing that she was right there with him--he wasn't alone. And nothing was going to stop him from getting back to her._

_He glared at the Swordsman, remembering everything he took away from him. Then, in one swift motion, used his saber to hit the Swordsman's sword away from him and nail him straight in the center of the diamond of his chest. And that was it. He watched proudly as he saw the horrible Silver Swordsman fade into nothing more than black smoke like the others. He was finally gone. Forever._

Dillon jumped awake next to Summer, grabbing her as he rose. Clinging as tightly as he could to her. Just feeling her in his arms was all he needed. She had brought him back. He was panting heavily as he stroked her hair.

"It's over." She told him softly, hugging him in return.

"Oh, Summer…" he began, still holding her.

"I knew you would come back to me." she said, closing her eyes in content. When the two ended their embrace, Dillon felt himself just looking into her eyes.

"I wasn't about to lose you twice." he told her with a soft smile.

"I wouldn't let you go that easily." She told him in return, smiling as well. Then the couple shared a long, and overdue kiss with one another. In the midst of their kiss, they just laid back with one another, holding one another close. They never wanted to let the other go.

After a moment, Dillon turned to her. "I love you, Summer." he said lovingly.

"I love you too, Dillon." she replied. "I'm just so glad you're back." she said, snuggling into him.

"It's nice to have something worth coming back for." he answered. And as he held her, the two kissed once more.


	29. Another Road to Corinth

Colonel Truman was trying his best to keep the large metal vehicle running straight through random Drone blasts Venjix was sending after them. For the most part, the Colonel seemed to be dodging the blasts with relative ease, after all, the Go-Onger was his pride and joy.

"Dad, how did you know where to find us?" Scott asked him.

While still focusing on the road, Colonel Truman tried to find the right words to answer with. And he found them. "A little while after you left it hit me; you were going into the Venjix Barricades unprepared, and I knew you guys couldn't reach Doctor K from out here so far from the dome so…" he trailed off.

"You got worried…didn't you?" Scott asked. Deep down, he knew what his father wanted to say, he just couldn't. Him coming all the way out here to save him let him know that he _was_ loved by his father, he just didn't know how to show it.

"I have two sons." Truman went on. "When you're a father, you want to protect your children no matter what--ranger or not." he said warmly. This made Scott smile as well. He finally had what he had strived to get all his life--his father's approval.

"How are you holding up, Marcus?" Scott asked, looking to his older brother.

"I just got my brother and my father back. It's hard to complain." Marcus answered. Then the two brothers slapped hands on both sides, ending in a snap--it was their handshake, and it felt so good to do it again.

"So…" Ziggy asked, changing the subject, "what happened to everyone else? I mean…how did they escape?"

"General Hicks and some cadets drove out here in medical vehicles and drove them to safety. Edward, Eva and Taryn all aided and protected them." Colonel Truman replied, proud that his cadets played a part in leading those injured to safety.

"Aye, but when you came out here to get Scott and us, how did you know that all of the prisoners had escaped?" Flynn asked.

"I had faith in my son, and in his team. I knew he wouldn't let me down." Truman answered. Suddenly, something hit the Go-Onger that made it rattle and shake.

"What was that?!" Ziggy asked with horror in his voice.

"A Drone's laser clipped our right side." Marcus answered. It never failed to amaze Scott at how well his brother knew the field. He could tell a hit coming from a mile away, which added insult to injury when he thought he was killed.

The jolt of the bus made a thought strike Ziggy. "Did…did Taryn and the others get out safely?" Ziggy asked, feeling his heart sink suddenly. If anything had happened to Taryn, he wouldn't know what to do.

"You, Scott and Flynn all held Venjix off long enough for them to do so--they're just fine." Truman assured him. Seconds later, another shot hit the van.

"Okay, we need to do something, and fast!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Dad, can you handle the Go-Onger while we take care of these freaks?" Scott asked, ready to end this battle and get them out of here.

"Who are you talking to?" Truman answered slyly with a grin. There wasn't a road to bumpy for him to handle.

"Then let's do this." Scott said with determination, sliding open the door to the van. Marcus brought himself to do the door to join him.

"Whoa, whoa, what do you think you're doing?" Scott asked him, stopping him by taking his shoulders.

"Scott, I'm not just going to sit idly by and let you hog all the glory." Marcus joked, smiling at his brother.

"Just be careful." Scott told him, handing him a blaster to defend himself.

Through the open car door, Scott, Marcus, Ziggy and Flynn all aimed their weapons out of the window, ready to strike at any given moment. And as soon as they spotted a Drone in their crosshairs, they fired mercilessly taking them down one by one, watching they split into pieces when they hit the ground.

"How close are we to Corinth, dad?" Scott asked, still firing rapidly.

"Give me ten more seconds." the Colonel answered, pressing his foot harder on the gas pedal. Ahead of him, he saw the shields beginning to rise, if he wanted to get everyone inside minus they Drones, he'd have to be quick about it. So he approached the shield, driving into them as fast as he could, allowing them to close as soon as he entered. By doing so, this allowed only the Go-Onger to make it inside. Once the car made it to a stop, the team got out and cheered happily.

"You did it, dad!" Marcus cheered. "It just goes to show you _can_ teach old dogs new tricks!" he teased, patting his dad on the shoulder.

"Easy son, unless you want _two_ broken legs." the Colonel teased right back.

"We may have won our fight, now let's go see if Dillon won his." Scott told them, and the team immediately headed back to the Garage to check on their two fellow rangers.


	30. A Beautiful Name

After a while of just lying with one another, Dillon and Summer headed downstairs together. They wanted to tell Doctor K that Dillon was back to normal and wanted to see if his virus had progressed any further in his dream state. When they made it to the lab, there they saw Doctor K typing briskly on her computer.

"Hey…Doc." Dillon said softly as he eased his way into the room. He knew that the Doctor was never crazy about him to begin with, and given the recent events, she probably downgraded her opinion.

She turned from her chair when she heard the Black Ranger's voice. When she saw him, she noticed that Summer was with him. "Ranger Series Black?" she asked in disbelief. She never thought that he would wake from his nightmares and was astounded that he had. "You're back?"

"Yeah, I'm back." he told her simply. He felt ashamed for all he had put her and the other's through and didn't know what to say.

"But how?" Doctor K asked. "The chances are astronomical to escape a time altered world in one piece, let alone ending up in the right time." she explained as she rose from her desk.

Dillon looked to Summer softly. "I had people waiting here for me, and I wasn't going to let them down." he told her. Looking in Summer's eyes he finally knew he was home, and he had everything that mattered to him right in front of him.

"That's…incredible." The Doctor said, still reeling with shock. She still felt badly about judging him from before and wished she could convey her feelings to him about how she views him as a hero and not a threat. "And I'm sorry about before…" she trailed off, fighting with her feelings, "…Dillon." she finally said. Dillon and Summer paused in disbelief.

"What did you just call him?" Summer asked, a smile coming to her face.

"Dillon." Doctor K answered. "I've decided to call you all by your real names from now on. It's…easier." she told them. She had fought with getting close to people all her life, and it felt good to finally let people in. She knew she could depend on them, she knew they were her friends.

"Easier? Or are you finally wanting to open up to us?" Dillon asked, grinning at her.

Upon hearing Dillon's question, the Doctor felt herself growing nervous. She knew what the answer was, she loved all of the rangers and was happy to help them in any way she could. But it was too hard for her to admit, so she anxiously turned back to her work, only proving what Dillon said was right. The Black and Yellow Rangers looked at one another and smiled.

"Where is everyone? Are they alright?" Summer asked suddenly, the thought just hitting her. She had been so worried about Dillon that she forgot that they were out on a mission of their own.

"They're fine." Doctor K answered with a sigh of relief, looking at her watch. "Actually they should be arriving…" she began until she heard the sound of the Go-Onger pulling into the Garage. "…now." she finished. Dillon and Summer ran to the large vehicle to greet their friends.

"You guys made it back!" Summer cheered.

"More or less in one piece." Flynn joked, hopping out of the car.

"Thanks to Colonel Truman's sick driving skills!" Ziggy exclaimed jumping out of the car as well, patting Truman on the shoulder as he exited.

"Colonel Truman?" Summer asked in surprise. When she saw him climb out of the van, her eyes widened happily.

"I prefer to say driving 'talents'." Colonel Truman corrected him, hopping out of the car as well.

"That's my dad for you." Scott chimed in, sticking his head out of the car window.

As soon as she heard his voice, Doctor K rose from her desk. "Scott?" she asked happily. "You're back?"

"You know it!" Scott answered with a smile to her. "And I'm not alone either." He continued, pushing the van-like doors open and revealing Marcus.

"Hi, everyone." Marcus said with a small wave.

"You were able to find your brother? He's alive?" Doctor K asked in surprise. She knew how devastated Scott was when he thought that his brother was gone, and how hurt he was when he realized at the party that it was really the Snap-Bot in disguise. She couldn't be happier for him that Marcus was really here, and himself.

"Alive and kicking. Eagle One doesn't go down that easily." Scott answered, helping escort his brother out of the van.

"Good to have you all back." Dillon said suddenly, alerting everyone to his presence. He smiled at all of his friends.

"Dillon!!" Ziggy cheered excitedly. He ran over to his best friend and hugged him tightly. Normally, this was something that Dillon would pull away from, but given what they both had been through, he just hugged him in return.

"But how? I thought you were--" Flynn began.

"I'm not." Dillon interrupted. "I'm back home, safe and sound." He said, making Summer hug him.

"Guess that means our team's complete again." Scott smiled, looking at everyone.

"And it's about time." A familiar voice said. When they team turned to see who it was, they saw Taryn, Edward and Eva enter the room. The three family members all ran over to Dillon and hugged him on all sides.

"I've missed you all so much." he said, hugging them all back.

"And we're going to stay together this time. No matter what." Eva said tearfully, hugging her family.

"Sounds like a plan." Dillon replied with a smile.

After giving everyone a moment to regroup with one another, Doctor K intervened. "We've got quite a bit of work to do in the infirmary." She told them. "I'm sorry to say that we'll have to continue this later."

"Why don't we continue it at another reunion party--the authentic one." Ziggy suggested.

"I'd say we're all entitled to a little partying." Flynn said, totally on board with the idea.

"Done." Scott announced. "We can have it next week after you've all rested."

Everyone loved the idea, and when they all began to disperse to help Doctor K, Ziggy stopped them. "Wait, wait wait!!" he interrupted, just realizing something. "When did you start calling us by our real names?" he asked, in disbelief that Doctor K had call Scott by his real name when he came back.

"Let's just say that I had a friend who helped me see the light about the people in my life." She answered, looking and smiling at Scott. He smiled back at her warmly.

"Which raises the question, what's _you're_ real name?" Dillon asked, looking to Doctor K.

"It's a two way street. If you're willing to call us by our real names, you deserve to be called by yours." Summer told her.

"You…really want to know my name?" Doctor K asked in shock. No one ever cared enough about her to call her by her name before, and it made her feel good that they wanted to start.

"Of course." Summer replied sweetly.

"It's…Sally. Sally Kenders." she told them, scared of what they would think of her name.

"That's a beautiful name." Scott told her. As soon as he heard it, he thought it fit her perfectly. It was beautiful, just like she was.

"Thank you." Sally replied shyly.

"Sally? Really?" Ziggy asked her. "I would have pegged you as a Betty or Annie or--" He was interrupted by Taryn giving him a light elbow to the stomach. "Sally's perfect." he went on.

"And on that awkward note, let's go help the captives." Sally announced. And then the team all separated and went to help the ones they saved.

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	31. Home

Later that night, after Marcus, Scott's, and all the prisoner's wounds were tended to, Dillon, Summer and Doctor K all made their way to the lab. Dillon laid on the reclining metal chair that Doctor K always observed him in. She booted up her computers while Summer ran a blue lighted scanner up and down his body.

"Well, Sally, what's the prognosis?" Dillon asked her, looking up at her from the chair.

After hitting a few more keystrokes, Sally turned around. They couldn't tell in the look in her face if it was good or bad news.

"What is it?" Summer asked, "Did the virus speed up?"

"On the contrary actually." She said, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"What, is the virus…gone?" Summer asked hopefully. Dillon looked to the Doctor expectantly.

"Completely." Sally answered, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Are you serious?" Dillon asked, sitting up from his chair. It was all he could do to keep from jumping for joy.

"Affirmative. It seems that when Dillon was…'shut down' at the party, it nullified any and all traces of the Venjix Virus. I can't find any signs of it anywhere." she explained to them.

"That's incredible!" Summer beamed.

"That's it?" Dillon asked, hoping this wasn't too good to be true. "I'm really cured?"

"One hundred percent." Sally answered warmly with a nod.

"I can't believe it." Dillon said with a stunned tone. "I'm cured!" he cheered, grabbing Summer, picking her up and hugging her tightly. She laughed at how happy she was, and couldn't be more happy for him. She knew how much this virus tormented him, and it was finally over. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, placing Summer on the ground, then went to hug Doctor K. "Thank you." he said once more.

"Don't thank me." Sally told him. "If anyone was responsible for finding your cure, it was Summer. She was with you every step of the way when you were lost in time, and without her help, you would have stayed there." she told them.

With that, Dillon turned to the woman he loved and just looked at her in amazement. She _had _been there for him ever since the beginning. She trusted him when no one else did, and stuck by him with everything he had been through. She was more than just the woman he loved, he was her best friend.

Dillon walked over to her and pushed her hair from her cheek. "Thanks, Summer. For saving my life."

"Thanks for saving mine." she answered simply, and the two just enjoyed one another's embrace. And watching them, Sally couldn't help but smile.

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A week later, everything seemed to be back to normal. Venjix wasn't making any appearances, family members were finally back with one another, and the best part--no Venjix virus.

Everyone was dressed in their best attire at the Garage which was decorated accordingly. Lights were strung all around, soft music filled the air, even the faint smell of flowers was all around due to the flowers placed all around the room. Couples danced with one another, just enjoying one another's company.

Scott on the other hand was just watching everyone dance while he stood around drinking punch. Marcus stood with him, making casual conversation with him. When he adjusted his crutch, it caught Scott's attention.

"You alright there, bro?" Scott asked, hoping his brother wasn't in any pain. Sally had given him something for his injured leg, but that didn't mean getting used to a crutch was going to be easy.

"747s I can handle, but when it a crutch, I'm all over the place." Marcus joked. Then he noticed that Scott was looking at someone across the room. "What's got your eye little bro?" he asked him.

Scott sipped a drink of punch and pointed his glass forward, right at Sally.

"Oh, so Scott's got a thing for the doctor." Marcus teased. "You've always had a thing for the smart girls."

"She's so much more than smart." Scott corrected him. "She's pretty and kind and--"

"Then why are you standing over here talking to me?" Marcus interrupted him. "Go ask her to dance." he told him.

"Is that an order?" Scott asked with a grin, placing his glass on the table behind him.

"From Eagle One directly." Marcus answered. Scott just let out a chuckle and made his way over to Sally. He noticed that she was standing alone on the other side of the room drinking punch as well, just watching the others dance.

"Can I bother you for another dance?" he asked her.

Sally feigned thinking it over, then let out a small laugh. "I don't see why not." she told him. Then she took Scott's hand, and the two made their way out to the dance floor. She began to grow nervous when they started to slow dance. "So…here we are again." she said nervously.

"Dancing in the Garage." he added. "Are you having a good time?" she asked her.

"Better than the last party we threw." She joked, causing the Red Ranger to laugh. After the laughter ceased, she looked at Scott's head. "How's your head?" she asked, looking at his bandage.

"Better. Guess it all comes with being a ranger, huh?" he asked.

"It does." Sally answered, feeling nervous once again.

"Sally?" Scott said suddenly.

"Yes?" she replied, unable to look him in the face.

The next thing she knew, she felt Scott's lips on hers. Kissing her softly. She felt like she was floating. She was head over heels. She was in Heaven.

After the kiss, she took a moment to confirm what had just happened. "Um…w-what was that for?" she stammered.

"I never got a chance to thank you." he told her.

"For?" she asked in confusion.

"Consoling me, being my friend, making things easier for me. I'm lucky to have someone like you in my life, Sally." he told her with kind eyes.

"Really? You feel…lucky?" she asked in confusion.

"Yes. Thank you, Sally." he told her.

"You're welcome…Scott." she answered and the two locked lips on the dance floor once again.

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Dillon and Summer were holding one another close on the dance floor, just swaying contently to the soft music. They were just so happy to be with one another again, no virus, no evil, just each other.

"Are you having fun?" Dillon asked as he swayed with her."

"A lot." she answered, laying her head against his chest. "You?" she asked.

"Yeah. I've been enjoying this entire week. It's been nice sitting with my family, Taryn and I learning about our past." he tols her.

"What have you learned?" She asked. She wanted to know anything and everything she could about his past. She wanted to know him inside and out.

"Well, for starters I'm twenty-three. I, apparently, love football and have a tendency to be reckless." he said, looking down at her.

"I'll say." she teased, looking up and him.

"I know." he replied, his tone turning serious. "And I'm sorry. I really need to start thinking before I act."

Summer could tell in the tone of his voice that he felt bad for most of the decisions that he had made. He knew that he had put her through a lot, and caused her a lot of pain and worry. But honestly, she didn't care about that, all that mattered was that she had the Dillon she knew and loved back in her arms.

"That wouldn't be you." she told him. "You have being a hero in your genes. And heroes have to made snap decisions sometimes. It's one of the things I love about you."

"I love that you care so much about me, about everyone." he pushed her hair from her face and just gazed at her. "I wouldn't be here without you."

"Speaking of which…" Summer began, opening her purse and pulling out a small object, his pocket watch. She held it up for him to see. "I believe you came back for this." she smiled.

Dillon looked at the watch and took it from her. He just looked at her for a moment, then threw the watch behind him, landing it in a garbage can.

"What are you doing?" She exclaimed. "You came back for that!"

"I didn't come back for the watch, Summer." he said softly. "I don't need it. I made you a promise long ago and I intend to keep it. I'm not leaving you ever again. Who needs the watch? I came back for you." he told her sweetly. "If you'll have me." he smiled.

Summer sighed happily and fought the tears from her eyes. "That's the best offer I've had so far." Then the two kissed passionately, they finally had what they ached so long for--one another. Edward had Eva, Scott had Sally, Taryn had Ziggy and Dillon had Summer. Love was in the air and the couples planned to keep it there.

Families were finally reunited with one another, and though it was a tough road to get through, it just goes to show, that no matter how far away you seem, you're never to far from finding a way home.

_**The End**_

**A/N: ****Thanks to all who read my story. Please review if you'd like, just, as usual, no flames please. I hope you all enjoyed this story, and I should have another one up in the near future. Thanks for reading!**


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